WBIMiiSSItSMk SAN  DIEG0 

31822  01947  0681 


BANCROFT 


UNIV,  RSITY   Of 
CALIFORNIA 
SAN  DIEGO 

V 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA   SAN  DIEGO 


3  1822  01947  0681 


lo5 


Central  University  Library 

University  of  California,  San  Diego 
Please  Note:  This  item  is  subject  to  recall. 

Date  Due 

APR  1  7 1996 

APR  1  7  095 

CI  39  (7/93)                                                                    UCSDLib. 

Letters  from  England 


ELIZABETH     DAVIS     BANCROFT 

Probably  taken  at   Brady's  National  Gallery,   New  York,  sometime  after  her 
return  from  England;   from  a  picture  owned  by  Elizabeth  B.  Bliss 


LETTERS 
FROM   ENGLAND 

1846 — 1849 


BY 

ELIZABETH    DAVIS    BANCROFT 

(Mrs.   GEORGE  BANCROFT) 


WITH  PORTRAITS  AND   VIEWS 


CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 
NEW   YORK:::::::::::::::::i904 


Copyright,  1904,  by 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

Published,  March.   1904 


TROW   DiRFcrrnv 

fRINTINO    »"0    BOOKBINDING    COMrAN* 
NEW    YORK 


PREFACE 

Elizabeth  Davis  Bancroft,  the 
writer  of  these  letters,  was  the  young- 
est child  and  only  daughter  of  William 
and  Rebecca  Morton  Davis,  and  was 
born  at  Plymouth,  Mass.,  in  October, 
1803.  She  often  spoke  in  later  times 
of  what  a  good  preparation  for  her  life 
abroad  were  the  years  she  spent  at  Miss 
Cushing's  school  at  Hingham,  and  of 
her  visits  to  her  uncles,  Judge  Davis 
and  Mr.  I.  P.  Davis  of  Boston.  In 
1825  she  married  Alexander  Bliss,  a 
brilliant  young  lawyer  and  a  junior 
partner  of  Daniel  Webster.  On  his 
death  a  few  years  later,  her  father 
having  died,  her  mother  and  brother 
formed  a  household  with  her  and  her 


Preface 

two  sons  in  Winthrop  Place,  Boston. 
As  a  young  girl  in  Plymouth  she  be- 
came a  great  friend  of  the  future  Mrs. 
Emerson  and  later  of  Mr.  Emerson 
and  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ripley,  and 
through  them  was  much  interested  in 
Brook  Farm. 

In  1838  she  married  George  Ban- 
croft, the  historian  and  statesman,  who 
was  then  Collector  of  the  Port  of  Bos- 
ton and  a  widower  with  three  children. 
They  continued  to  live  in  Winthrop 
Place  till  1845,  wnen  f°r  one  vear  Mr. 
Bancroft  was  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
in  Polk's  cabinet.  While  he  was  in 
that  position  the  Naval  Academy  at 
Annapolis  was  established ;  and  he 
played  an  important  part  in  the  earlier 
stages  of  the  Mexican  War.  In  the 
fall  of  1846  he  became  Minister  to 
England.  It  was  then  that  the  let- 
ters were  written  from  which  these  ex- 


Preface 

tracts  have  been  taken.  A  number  of 
passages  not  of  general  interest  have 
been  omitted,  without  any  indications 
of  such  omission  in  the  text,  but  in  no 
case  has  any  change  in  a  sentence  been 
made.  Most  of  the  letters  are  in  the 
form  of  a  diary  and  were  addressed  to 
immediate  relatives,  and  none  of  them 
were  written  for  publication ;  but  owing 
to  the  standing  of  Mr.  Bancroft  as  a 
man  of  letters,  as  well  as  his  official  sta- 
tion, the  writer  saw  London  life  under 
an  unusual  variety  of  interesting  aspects. 
In  1849  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bancroft  re- 
turned to  this  country,  and  Mr.  Ban- 
croft occupied  himself  with  his  history 
until  1868,  when  he  was  for  seven 
years  Minister  to  Prussia  and  the  Ger- 
man Empire.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time  they  took  up  their  residence 
in  Washington,  where  they  lived  dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  their  lives. 


PORTRAITS   AND   VIEWS 


Elizabeth   Davis  Bancroft    ....  Frontispiece 

Probably  taken  at  Brady's  National  Gallery,  New  York, 
sometime  after  her  return  from  England ;  from  a 
picture  owned  by  Elizabeth  B.  Bliss. 

FACING 
PAGE 

Aston  Hall  (Bracebridge  Hall)    ....        8 
Henry  Edward,    Fourth  Lord  Holland   .      .      14 

From  the  portrait  by  C.  R.  Leslie,  R.  A.,  at  Holland 
House,  by  permission  of  the  Earl  of  Ilchester. 

Augusta,   Lady  Holland 20 

From  the  portrait  by  G.  F.  Watts,  R.  A.,  at  Holland 
House,  by  permission  of  the  Earl  of  Ilchester. 

Holland  House 26 

George  Bancroft 34 

From  the  painting  by  C.  C.  Ingham  in  the  possession  of 
William  J.  A.  Bliss. 

Elizabeth  Davis  Bancroft 40 

From  the  painting  by  C.  C.  Ingham  in  the  possession  of 
William  J.  A.  Bliss. 

The  Duke  of  Wellington 70 

From  the  portrait  by  Count  Alfred  D'Orsay ;  photograph 
copyright  by  Walker  &  Cockerell,  London. 


Portraits  and  Views 


PACING 
PAGE 


Sir  Stratford   Canning 74 

Krom  the  drawing  by  Richmond,  made  about  1848,  by 
permission  of  the  Hon.  Louisa  Canning. 

Lord  Ashburton 84 

After  Sir  T.  Lawrence,  R.  A. 

Miss  Berry,   at  the   Age  of  86    .      .      .      .      88 

From  a  crayon  drawing  by  J.  R.  Swinton  (1850);  from 
a  picture  owned  by  Elizabeth  B.  Bliss. 

A.  W.   Kinglake  ("  Eothen  ")     ....      90 

From  a  photograph. 

Samuel   Rogers 98 

From  the  drawing  by  G.  Richmond  (1848) :  photograph 
copyright  by  Walker  &  Cockerell,  London. 

Lady   Byron 106 

From  the  portrait  in  the  possession  of  Sir  J.  Tollemache 
Sinclair,  Bart. 

George   Hudson,  the   "Railway  King"        .    114 

From  the  engraving  after  F.  Grant. 

Lord   Palmerston 130 

From  the  portrait  by  Partridge;  photograph  copyright 
by  Walker  &  Cockerell,  London. 

Lady   Palmerston 136 

From  a  painting,  by  permission  of  Sir  Francis  Gore. 

Mrs.    Dawson   Darner 154 

From  the  miniature  by  Isabey,  by  permission  of  Lady 
Constance  Leslie. 


Portraits  and  Views 


FACING 
PAGE 


Mrs.    Fitzherbert 160 

From  the  pastel  by  J.  Russell. 

Richard  Monckton  Milnes  (Lord  Houghton)    170 

From  the  drawing  by  Cousins,  by  permission  of  the 
Hon.  Mrs.  Arthur  Henniker. 

Lord  George  Bendnck 190 

From  the  picture  by  Lane,  by  permission  of  the  Duke 
of  Portland. 

Sir  Robert  Peel 194 

From  the  mezzotint  after  Sir  T.  Lawrence.  R.  A. 

Lady  Peel 198 

After  Sir  T.  Lawrence,  R.  A.  ;  photograph  copyright 
by  W.  Mansell  &  Co.,  London. 

George  Bancroft 210 

Probably  taken  at  Brady's  National  Gallery,  New  York, 
sometime  after  his  return  from  England ;  from  a 
picture  owned  by  Elizabeth  13.  Bliss. 


Letters  from  England 


Letters  from  England 


To  W.  D.  B.  and  A.  B. 

Liverpool,  October  26,  1846. 
My  dear  Sons  :  Thank  God  with 
me  that  we  are  once  more  on  terra 
firma.  We  arrived  yesterday  morning 
at  ten  o'clock,  after  a  very  rough  voy- 
age and  after  riding  all  night  in  the 
Channel  in  a  tremendous  gale,  so  bad 
that  no  pilot  could  reach  us  to  bring  us 
in  on  Saturday  evening.  A  record  of 
a  sea  voyage  will  be  only  interesting  to 
you  who  love  me,  but  I  must  give  it  to 
you  that  you  may  know  what  to  expect 
if  you  ever  undertake  it ;  but  first,  I 
must  sum  it  all  up  by  saying  that  of  all 
horrors,  of  all  physical  miseries,  tort- 
ures, and  distresses,  a  sea  voyage  is 
3 


Mrs.   George    Bancroft's 

the  greatest.  .  .  .  The  Liverpool 
paper  this  morning,  after  announcing 
our  arrival,  says :  "The  Great  West- 
ern,  notwithstanding  she  encountered 
throughout  a  series  of  most  severe 
gales,  accomplished  the  passage  in  six- 
teen days  and  twelve  hours." 

To  begin  at  the  moment  I  left  New 
York  :  I  was  so  absorbed  by  the  pain  of 
parting  from  you  that  I  was  in  a  state 
of  complete  apathy  with  regard  to  all 
about  me.  I  did  not  sentimentalize 
about  the  "receding  shores  of  my 
country;"  I  hardly  looked  at  them, 
indeed.  Friday  I  was  awoke  in  the 
middle  of  the  night  by  the  roaring  of 
the  wind  and  sea  and  such  motion  of 
the  vessel. 

The  gale  lasted  all  Saturday  and  Sun- 
day, strong  from  the  North,  and  as  we 
were  in  the  region  where  the  waters  of 
the  Bay  of  Fundy  run  out  and  meet 

4 


Letters  from   England 

those  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  after- 
wards we  had  a  strong  cross  sea.  May 
you  never  experience  a  "cross  sea." 
.  .  Oh  how  I  wished  it  had 
pleased  God  to  plant  some  little  islands 
as  resting-places  in  the  great  waste  of 
waters,  some  resting  station.  But  no, 
we  must  keep  on,  on,  with  everything 
in  motion  that  your  eye  could  rest  on. 
Everything  tumbling  about. 
We  lived  through  it,  however,  and  the 
sun  of  Sunday  morn  rose  clear  and 
bright.  A  pilot  got  on  board  about 
seven  and  at  ten  we  were  in  Liverpool. 
We  are  at  the  Adelphi.  Before  I 
had  taken  off  my  bonnet  Mr.  Richard 
Rathbone,  one  of  the  wealthiest  mer- 
chants here,  called  to  invite  us  to  dine 
the  next  day.  .  .  .  Mrs.  Richard 
Rathbone  has  written  that  beautiful 
"  Diary  of  Lady  Willoughby,"  and, 
what  is  more,  they  say  it  is  a  perfect 
5 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

reflect  of  her  own  lovely  life  and  char- 
acter. When  she  published  the  book 
no  one  knew  of  it  but  her  husband,  not 
even  her  brothers  and  sisters,  and,  of 
course,  she  constantly  heard  specula- 
tions as  to  the  authenticity  of  the  book, 
and  was  often  appealed  to  for  her 
opinion.  She  is  very  unpretending 
and  sweet  in  her  manners ;  talks  little, 
and  seems  not  at  all  like  a  literary  lady. 
I  like  these  people  in  Liverpool. 
They  seem  to  me  to  think  less  of  fash- 
ion and  more  of  substantial  excellence 
than  our  wealthy  people.  I  am  not 
sure  but  the  existence  of  a  higher  class 
above  them  has  a  favorable  effect,  by 
limiting  them  in  some  ways.  There  is 
much  less  show  of  furniture  in  the 
houses  than  with  us,  though  their  ser- 
vants and  equipages  are  in  much  bet- 
ter keeping.  I  am  not  sorry  to  be  de- 
tained here  for  a  few  days  by  my  illness 


Letters  from   England 

to  become  acquainted  with  them,  and  I 
think  your  father  likes  it  also,  and  will 
find  it  useful  to  him.  Let  me  say,  while 
I  think  of  it,  how  much  I  was  pleased 
with  the  Great  Western.  That  upper 
saloon  with  the  air  passing  through  it 
was  a  great  comfort  to  me.  The  cap- 
tain, the  servants,  the  table,  are  all  ex- 
cellent. Everything  on  board  was  as 
nice  as  in  the  best  hotel,  and  my  gruels 
and  broths  beautifully  made.  One  of 
the  stewardesses  did  more  for  me  than 
I  ever  had  done  by  any  servant  of  my 
own.  .  .  .  Your  father  and  Louisa* 
were  ill  but  three  or  four  days,  and  then 
your  father  read  Tacitus  and  talked  to 
the  ladies,  while  Louisa  played  with  the 
other  children. 

The  Adelphi,  my  first  specimen  of  an 
English  hotel,  is  perfectly  comfortable, 
and  though  an  immense  establishment, 

*Mr.  Bancroft's  daughter. 
7 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

is  quiet  as  a  private  house.  There  is 
none  of  the  bustle  of  the  Astor,  and  if 
I  ring  my  bedroom  bell  it  is  answered 
by  a  woman  who  attends  to  me  assidu- 
ously. The  landlord  pays  us  a  visit 
every  day  to  know  if  we  have  all  we 
wish. 

London,  Sunday,  November  I. 

Here  I  am  in  the  mighty  heart,  but 
before  I  say  one  word  about  it  I  will  go 
on  from  Wednesday  evening  with  my 
journal.  On  Thursday,  though  still  very 
feeble,  I  dined  at  Green  Bank,  the  coun- 
try-seat of  Mr.  William  Rathbone.  I 
was  unwilling  to  leave  Liverpool  without 
sharing  with  your  father  some  of  the 
hospitalities  offered  us  and  made  a  great 
effort  to  go.  The  place  is  very  beauti- 
ful and  the  house  full  of  comfortable 
elegance. 

The  next  morning  we  started  for  Bir- 
mingham, ninety-seven  miles  from  Liv- 

8 


Letters   from   England 

erpool,  on  our  way  to  London,  as  I  am 
unable  to  travel  the  whole  way  in  a  day. 
On  this  railway  I  felt  for  the  first  time 
the  superiority  of  England  to  our  own 
country.  The  cars  are  divided  into  first, 
second,  and  third  classes.  We  took  a 
first-class  car,  which  has  all  the  comforts 
of  a  private  carriage. 

Just  as  we  entered  Birmingham  I  ob- 
served the  finest  seat,  surrounded  by  a 
park  wall  and  with  a  very  picturesque 
old  church,  that  I  had  seen  on  the  way. 
On  enquiring  of  young  Mr.  Van  Wart, 
who  came  to  see  us  in  Birmingham  (the 
nephew  of  Washington  Irving),  whose 
place  it  was,  he  said  it  was  now  called 
Aston  Hall  and  was  owned  by  Mr. 
Watt,  but  it  was  formerly  owned  by  the 
Bracebridges,  and  was  the  veritable 
"Bracebridge  Hall,"  and  that  his  uncle 
had  passed  his  Christmas  there. 

On  arriving  here  we  found  our  rooms 

9 


Mrs.   George   Bancroft's 

all  ready  for  us  at  Long's  Hotel,  kept 
by  Mr.  Markwell,  a  wine  merchant. 
The  house  is  in  New  Bond  Street,  in  the 
very  centre  of  movement  at  the  West 
End,  and  Mr.  Markwell  full  of  personal 
assiduity,  which  we  never  see  with  us. 
He  comes  to  the  carriage  himself,  gives 
me  his  arm  to  go  upstairs,  is  so  much 
obliged  to  us  for  honoring  his  house, 
ushers  you  in  to  dinner,  at  least  on  the 
first  day,  and  seats  you,  etc.,  etc. 

Do  not  imagine  us  in  fresh,  new-look- 
ing rooms  as  we  should  be  in  New  York 
or  Philadelphia.  No,  in  London  even 
new  things  look  old,  but  almost  every- 
thing is  old.  Our  parlor  has  three  win- 
dows down  to  the  floor,  but  it  is  very 
dark.  The  paint  is  maple  color,  and 
everything  is  dingy  in  appearance.  The 
window  in  my  bedroom  looks  like  a  horn 
lantern,  so  thick  is  the  smoke,  and  yet 
everything   is   scrupulously   clean.      On 


Letters  from   England 

our  arrival,  Boyd,  the  Secretary  of  Le- 
gation, soon  came,  and  stayed  to  dine 
with  us  at  six.  Our  dinner  was  an  ex- 
cellent soup,  the  boiled  cod  garnished 
with  fried  smelts,  the  roast  beef  and  a 
fricandeau  with  sweet  breads,  then  a 
pheasant,  and  afterwards,  dessert. 

This  morning  Mr.  Bates  came  very 
early  to  see  us,  and  then  Mr.  Joseph 
Coolidge,  who  looks  very  young  and 
handsome;  then  Mr.  Colman,  who  also 
looks  very  well,  Mr.  Boyd  and  a  Mr. 
Haight,  of  New  York,  and  Mr.  Gair, 
son  of  Mr.  Gair  of  Liverpool,  a  pleasing 
young  man. 

Monday  Evening. 

This  morning  came  Mr.  Aspinwall, 
then  Captain  Wormeley,  then  Dr.  Hol- 
land, then  Mrs.  Bates,  then  Mr.  Joseph 
Jay  and  his  sister,  then  Tom  Appleton, 
Mrs.  and  Miss  Wormeley,  and  Mrs. 
Franklin  Dexter.     Dr.  Holland  came  a 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

second  time  to  take  me  a  drive,  but  Mrs. 
Bates  being  with  me  he  took  your  father. 
Mrs.  Bates  took  me  to  do  some  shop- 
ping, and  to  see  about  some  houses. 
They  are  very  desirous  we  should  be  in 
their  neighborhood,  in  Portland  Place, 
but  I  have  rather  a  fancy  myself  for  the 
new  part  of  the  town.  I  have  been 
so  used  all  my  life  to  see  things  fresh 
and  clean-looking,  that  I  cannot  get 
accustomed  to  the  London  dinge,  and 
some  of  the  finest  houses  look  to  me 
as  though  I  would  like  to  give  them  a 
good  scouring.  Tell  Cousin  M.  never 
to  come  to  England,  she  would  be 
shocked  every  minute,  with  all  the  gran- 
deur. A  new  country  is  cleaner-looking, 
though  it  may  not  be  so  picturesque. 
I  got  your  letters  when  I  arrived 
here,  and  I  wish  this  may  give  you  but 
a  little  of  the  pleasure  they  gave  me. 
Pray  never  let  a  steamer  come  without 

12 


Letters   from   England 

a  token  from  both  of  you.  .  .  .  With 
love  to  Grandma  and  Uncle  Thomas, 
believe  me,  with  more  love  than  ever  be- 
fore, 

Elizabeth  D.  Bancroft. 

To  W.  D.  B.  and  A.  B. 

London,  November  3,  1846. 

.  .  .  This  day,  at  five,  your  father 
had  his  first  interview  with  Lord  Pal- 
merston,  who  will  acquaint  the  Queen 
with  his  arrival,  and  after  she  has  re- 
ceived him  we  shall  leave  our  cards  upon 
all  the  ministers  and  corps  diploma- 
tique. 

November  4th. 

Your  father  had  a  most  agreeable  din- 
ner at  Lord  Holland's.  He  met  there 
Lord  and  Lady  Palmerston,  Lord  Mor- 
peth, Lord  de  Mauley,  Mr.  Harcourt, 
a  son  of  the  Archbishop  of  York,  etc. 
He  took  out  Lady  Holland  and  Lord 
13 


Mrs.   George    Bancroft's 

Morpeth  Lady  Palmerston,  the  only 
ladies  present.  Holland  House  is  sur- 
rounded by  200  acres  in  the  midst  of 
the  western  part  of  London,  or  rather 
Kensington.  Lord  Holland  has  no  chil- 
dren, and  the  family  dies  with  him. 
They  dined  in  the  room  in  which  Addi- 
son died. 

To-day,  to  my  surprise,  came  Lady 
Palmerston,  which  was  a  great  courtesy, 
as  it  was  my  place  to  make  the  first  visit. 
She  is  the  sister  of  Lord  Melbourne. 
Lord  de  Mauley  has  also  been  here. 
.  .  .  To-day  I  have  been  driving 
through  some  of  the  best  streets  in  Lon- 
don, and  my  ideas  of  its  extent  and  mag- 
nificence are  rising  fast.  The  houses  are 
more  picturesque  than  ours,  and  some  of 
them  most  noble.  The  vastness  of  a 
great  capital  like  this  cannot  burst  upon 
one  at  once.  Its  effect  increases  daily. 
The  extent  of  the  Park,  surrounded  by 
14 


HENRY    EDWARD,    FOURTH     LORD    HOLLAND 

From  the  portrait  by  C.  R.  Leslie.  R.  A.,  at  Holland  House,  by  permissii 
the  Earl  of  Ilchester 


Letters   from   England 

mansions  which  look,  some  of  them,  like 
a  whole  history  in  themselves,  has  to-day 
quite  dazzled  my  imagination. 

November  5th. 

This  morning,  Thursday,  came  an  in- 
vitation to  dine  with  Lord  and  Lady 
Palmerston  on  Saturday.  Sir  George 
Grey,  another  of  the  ministers,  came  to 
see  us  to-day  and  Lord  Mahon.  Your 
father  and  I  have  been  all  the  morning 
looking  at  houses,  and  have  nearly  con- 
cluded upon  one  in  Eaton  Square.  We 
find  a  hotel  very  expensive,  and  not  very 
comfortable  for  us,  as  your  father  is 
very  restive  without  his  books  about  him. 
Mr.  Harcourt  also  came  to  see  us  to-day. 
I  mention  as  many  of  the  names  of  our 
visitors  as  I  can  recollect,  as  it  will  give 
you  some  idea  of  the  composition  of 
English  society.  .  .  .  This  moment 
a  large  card  in  an  envelope  has  been 
15 


Mrs.  George    Bancroft's 

brought  me,  which  runs  thus :  "The  Lord 
Steward  has  received  Her  Majesty's 
commands  to  invite  Mr.  Bancroft  to 
dinner  at  Windsor  Castle  on  Thursday, 
1 2th  November,  to  remain  until  Friday, 
13th."  I  am  glad  he  will  dine  there  be- 
fore me,  that  he  may  tell  me  the  order 
of  performances. 

Friday,  November  6th. 

.  .  .  We  had  to-day  a  delightful 
visit  from  Rogers,  the  Poet,  who  is  now 
quite  old,  but  with  a  most  interesting 
countenance.  He  was  full  of  cordiality, 
and,  at  parting,  as  he  took  my  hand, 
said:  "Our  acquaintance  must  become 
friendship."  Mr.  Harcourt  came  again 
and  sat  an  hour  with  us,  and  has  intro- 
duced your  father  at  the  Traveller's  Club 
and  the  Athenaeum  Club.  To-night 
came  my  new  lady's  maid,  Russell.  She 
dresses  hair  beautifully,  but  is  rather  too 
great  a  person  to  suit  my  fancy. 
16 


Letters   from   England 

Sunday  Evening,  November  8th. 

On  Friday  evening  we  met  at  Mrs. 
Wormeley's  a  cosy  little  knot  of  Amer- 
icans. The  Dexters  were  staying  there 
and  there  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Atkinson 
and  Miss  Pratt,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aspin- 
wall,  Mr.  and  Miss  Jay,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Putnam,  Mr.  Colman,  Mr.  Pickering, 
etc. 

Wednesday  Evening. 

On  Monday  we  came  to  our  home, 
preferring  it  to  the  hotel,  though  it  is 
not  yet  in  order  for  our  reception,  and 
we  have  not  yet  all  our  servants.  Last 
evening  we  dined  with  Lord  Morpeth 
at  his  father's  house.  His  family  are  all 
out  of  town,  but  he  remains  because  of 
his  ministerial  duties.  Lord  Morpeth 
took  me  out  and  I  sat  between  him  and 
Sir  George  Grey.  Your  father  took  out 
Lady  Theresa  Lewis,  who  is  a  sister  of 
Lord  Clarendon.  She  was  full  of  intel- 
*7 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

ligenceand  I  liked  her  extremely.  Baron 
and  Lady  Parke  (a  distinguished  judge), 
Lady  Morgan,  Mr.  Mackintosh,  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Holland  (Sidney  Smith's 
daughter) ,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Franklin 
Dexter,  with  several  others  were  the 
party. 

During  dinner  one  gentleman  was  so 
very  agreeable  that  I  wondered  who  he 
could  be,  but  as  Lord  Palmerston  had 
told  me  that  Mr.  Macaulay  was  in 
Edinburgh,  I  did  not  think  of  him. 
After  the  ladies  left  the  gentlemen,  my 
first  question  to  Mrs.  Holland  was  the 
name  of  her  next  neighbor.  "Why,  Mr. 
Macaulay,"  was  her  answer,  and  I  was 
pleased  not  to  have  been  disappointed  in 
a  person  of  whom  I  had  heard  so  much. 
When  the  gentlemen  came  in  I  was  in- 
troduced to  him  and  talked  to  him  and 
heard  him  talk  not  a  little. 

These  persons  all  came  the  next  day 

18 


Letters   from   England 

to  see  us,  which  gave  rise  to  fresh  invi- 
tations. 

This  morning  we  have  been  driving 
round  to  leave  cards  on  the  corps  diplo- 
matique, and  Mr.  Harcourt  has  taken 
me  all  over  the  Athenaeum  Club-house, 
a  superb  establishment.  They  have 
given  your  father  an  invitation  to  the 
Club,  a  privilege  which  is  sometimes 
sought  for  years,  Mr.  Harcourt  says. 
.  .  .  Have  I  not  needed  all  my  en- 
ergies? We  have  been  here  just  a  fort- 
night, and  I  came  so  ill  that  I  could 
hardly  walk.  We  are  now  at  house- 
keeping, and  I  am  in  the  full  career  of 
London  society.  They  told  me  I  should 
see  no  one  until  spring,  but  you  see  we 
dine  out  or  go  out  in  the  evening  almost 
every  day.  .  .  .  For  the  gratification 
of  S.  D.  or  Aunt  I.,  who  may  wonder 
how  I  get  along  in  dress  matters,  going 
out  as  I  did  in  my  plain  black  dress,  I 
19 


Mrs.   George    Bancroft's 

will  tell  you  that  Mrs.  Murray,  the 
Queen's  dressmaker,  made  me,  as  soon 
as  I  found  these  calls  and  invitations 
pouring  in,  two  dresses.  One  of  black 
velvet,  very  low,  with  short  sleeves,  and 
another  of  very  rich  black  watered  silk, 
with  drapery  of  black  tulle  on  the  cor- 
sage and  sleeves.  ...  I  have  fitted 
myself  with  several  pretty  little  head- 
dresses, some  in  silver,  some  with  plumes, 
but  all  white,  and  I  find  my  velvet  and 
silk  suit  all  occasions.  I  do  not  like  din- 
ing with  bare  arms  and  neck,  but  I 
must. 

Tuesday,  November  17th. 

Last  evening  we  passed  at  the  Earl  of 
Auckland's,  the  head  of  the  Admiralty. 
The  party  was  at  the  Admiralty,  where 
there  is  a  beautiful  residence  for  the  first 
lord.  ...  I  had  a  long  talk  with 
Lord  Morpeth  last  evening  about  Mr. 
Sumner,  and  told  him  of  his  nomination. 
20 


AUGUSTA,    LADY     HOLLAND 

From  the  portrait  by  G.  F.  Watts,  R.  A.,  at  Holland  House,  by  permission  of 
the  Earl  of  Ilchester 


Letters  from   England 

He  has  a  strong  regard  for  him.  .  .  . 
Not  a  moment  have  I  had  to  a  London 
"lion."  I  have  driven  past  Westminster, 
but  have  not  been  in  it.  I  have  seen 
nothing  of  London  but  what  came  in 
my  way  in  returning  visits. 

To  I.  P.  D. 

London,  November  17,  1846. 

My  dear  Uncle  :  I  cannot  help  re- 
freshing the  remembrance  of  me  with 
you  and  dear  Aunty  by  addressing  a 
separate  letter  to  you.  .  .  .  Yester- 
day we  hailed  with  delight  our  letters 
from  home.  .  .  .  One  feels  in  a  for- 
eign land  the  absence  of  common  sym- 
pathies and  interests,  which  always  sur- 
round us  in  any  part  of  our  own  country. 
And  yet  nothing  can  exceed  the  kind- 
ness with  which  we  have  been  received 
here. 

Last  evening  I  went  to  my  first  great 
21 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

English  dinner  and  it  was  a  most  agree- 
able one.  ...  It  seems  a  little  odd 
to  a  republican  woman  to  find  herself  in 
right  of  her  country  taking  precedence 
of  marchionesses,  but  one  soon  gets  used 
to  all  things.  We  sat  down  to  dinner  at 
eight  and  got  through  about  ten.  When 
the  ladies  rose,  I  found  I  was  expected 
to  go  first.  After  dinner  other  guests 
were  invited  and  to  the  first  person  who 
came  in,  about  half-past  ten,  Lady  Pal- 
merston  said:  "Oh,  thank  you  for  com- 
ing so  early."  This  was  Lady  Tanker- 
ville  of  the  old  French  family  of  de 
Grammont  and  niece  to  Prince  Polignac. 
The  next  was  Lady  Emily  de  Burgh,  the 
daughter  of  the  Marchioness  of  Clanri- 
carde,  a  beautiful  girl  of  seventeen.  She 
is  very  lovely,  wears  a  Grecian  braid 
round  her  head  like  a  coronet,  and  al- 
ways sits  by  her  mother,  which  would 
not  suit  our  young  girls.     Then  came 

22 


Letters   from   England 

Lord  and  Lady  Ashley,  Lord  Ebring- 
ton,  and  so  many  titled  personages  that 
I  cannot  remember  half. 

The  dinner  is  much  the  same  as  ours 
in  all  its  modes  of  serving,  but  they  have 
soles  and  turbot,  instead  of  our  fishes, 
and  their  pheasants  are  not  our  pheas- 
ants, or  their  partridges  our  partridges. 
Neither  have  we  so  many  footmen  with 
liveries  of  all  colors,  or  so  much  gold 
and  silver  plate.  .  .  .  The  next 
morning  Mr.  Bancroft  breakfasted  with 
Dr.  Holland  to  meet  the  Marquis  of 
Lansdowne  alone.  [Thursday]  he  went 
down  to  Windsor  to  dine  with  the 
Queen.  He  took  out  to  dinner  the 
Queen's  mother,  the  Duchess  of  Kent, 
the  Queen  going  with  the  Prince  of 
Saxe-Weimar,  who  was  paying  a  visit 
at  the  Castle.  He  talked  German  to 
the  Duchess  during  dinner,  which  I  sus- 
pect she  liked,  for  the  Queen  spoke  of 
23 


Mrs.   George    Bancroft's 

it  to  him  afterwards,  and  Lord  Pal- 
merston  told  me  the  Duchess  said  he 
spoke  very  pure  German.  While  he 
was  dining  at  Windsor  I  went  to  a 
party  all  alone  at  the  Countess  Grey's, 
which  I  thought  required  some  courage. 
Of  all  the  persons  I  see  here  the 
Marquis  of  Lansdowne  excites  the  most 
lively  regard.  His  countenance  and 
manners  are  full  of  benevolence  and 
I  think  he  understands  America  bet- 
ter than  anyone  else  of  the  high  aris- 
tocracy. I  told  him  I  was  born  at 
Plymouth  and  was  as  proud  of  my 
pure  Anglo-Saxon  Pilgrim  descent  as  if 
it  were  traced  from  a  line  of  Norman 
Conquerors.  Nearly  all  the  ministers 
and  their  wives  came  to  see  us  immedi- 
ately, without  waiting  for  us  to  make  the 
first  visit,  which  is  the  rule,  and  almost 
every  person  whom  we  have  met  in  soci- 
ety, which  certainly  indicates  an  amiable 
24 


Letters   from   England 

feeling  toward  our  country.  We  could 
not  well  have  received  more  courtesy 
than  we  have  done,  and  it  has  been  ex- 
tended freely  and  immediately,  without 
waiting  for  the  forms  of  etiquette.  Pray 
say  to  Mr.  Everett  how  often  we  hear 
persons  speak  of  him,  and  with  highest 
regard.  I  feel  as  if  we  were  reaping 
some  of  the  fruits  of  his  sowing. 

Mr.  Bancroft  sends  you  a  pack  of 
cards,  one  of  the  identical  two  packs 
with  which  the  Queen  played  Patience 
the  evening  he  was  at  Windsor.  They 
were  the  perquisite  of  a  page  who 
brought  them  to  him.  He  was  much 
pleased  with  the  Queen  and  thought  her 
much  prettier  than  any  representation 
of  her  which  we  have  seen,  and  with  a 
very  sweet  expression.  Lady  Holland 
had  been  staying  two  or  three  days  at 
Windsor,  and  was  to  leave  the  next 
morning.  When  the  Queen  took  leave 
25 


Mrs.   George    Bancroft's 

of  her  at  night,  she  kissed  her  quite  in 
my  Virginia  fashion. 

Dear  Uncle  :  How  much  more  your 
niece  would  have  written  if  to-day  were 
not  packet  day,  I  cannot  say.  I  shall 
send  you  some  newspapers  and  a  pack 
of  cards  which  I  saw  in  the  Queen's 
hands.  The  American  Minister  and 
Mrs.  Bancroft  have  since  played  a  game 
of  piquet  with  them.  The  Queen's 
hands  were  as  clean  as  her  smile  was 
gracious.  Best  regards  to  the  Judge 
and  Aunt  Isaac. 

Yours  most  truly, 

George  Bancroft. 


To  W.  D.  B.  and  A.  B. 

London,  November  29,  1846. 
After  a  long  interval  I  find  again  a 
quiet  Sunday  evening  to  resume  my  jour- 

26 


Letters   from   England 

nal  to  you.  On  Monday  we  dined  at 
Lord  John  Russell's,  and  met  many 
of  the  persons  we  have  met  before  and 
the  Duchess  of  Inverness,  the  widow  of 
the  Duke  of  Sussex.  On  Tuesday  we 
dined  at  Dr.  Holland's.  His  wife  and 
daughter  are  charming,  and  then  we 
met,  besides,  Lady  Charlotte  Lindsay, 
the  only  surviving  child  of  Lord  North, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Milman  (the  author  of 
the  "Fall  of  Jerusalem"),  and  Mr.  Ma- 
caulay.  Yesterday  I  went  to  return  the 
visit  of  the  Milmans  and  found  that  the 
entrance  to  their  house,  he  being  a  pre- 
bend of  Westminster  Abbey,  was  actual- 
ly in  the  cloisters  of  the  Abbey.  They 
were  not  at  home,  but  I  took  my  foot- 
man and  wandered  at  leisure  through 
the  cloisters,  treading  at  every  step  on 
the  tomb  of  some  old  abbot  with  dates 
of  1 1 60  and  thereabouts. 

Nothing  could  be  more  delightful  than 
27 


Mrs.   George   Bancroft's 

London  is  now,  if  I  had  only  a  little 
more  physical  vigor  to  enjoy  it.  We  see 
everybody  more  frequently,  and  know 
them  better  than  in  the  full  season,  and 
we  have  some  of  the  best  specimens  of 
English  society,  too,  here  just  now,  as 
the  Whig  ministry  brings  a  good  deal 
of  the  ability  of  the  aristocracy  to  its 
aid.  The  subjects  of  conversation  among 
women  are  more  general  than  with  us, 
and  [they]  are  much  more  cultivated 
than  our  women  as  a  body,  not  our  blues. 
They  never  sew,  or  attend,  as  we  do,  to 
domestic  affairs,  and  so  live  for  social 
life  and  understand  it  better. 

London,  December  2,  1 846. 

My  dear  Mrs.  Polk*  :  You  told  me 
when  I  parted  from  you  at  Washington 
that  you  would  like  to  get  from  me  occa- 
sionally some  accounts  of  my  experiences 

*Wife  of  President  Polk. 
28 


Letters   from   England 

in  English  society.  I  thought  at  that 
time  that  we  should  see  very  little  of  it 
until  the  spring,  but  contrary  to  my  ex- 
pectation we  have  been  out  almost  every 
day  since  our  arrival.  We  made  our 
debut  in  London  on  the  first  day  of  No- 
vember (the  suicidal  month  you  know) 
in  the  midst  of  an  orange-colored  fog, 
in  which  you  could  not  see  your  hand 
before  you.  The  prospect  for  the  win- 
ter seemed,  I  must  say,  rather  "triste," 
but  the  next  day  the  fog  cleared  off,  peo- 
ple came  constantly  to  see  us,  and  we  had 
agreeable  invitations  for  every  day,  and 
London  put  on  a  new  aspect.  Our  first 
dinner  was  at  Lord  Palmerston's,  where 
we  met  what  the  newspapers  call  a  dis- 
tinguished circle.  The  Marquis  of  Lans- 
downe,  Lord  and  Lady  John  Russell, 
Marquis  and  Marchioness  of  Clanri- 
carde  (Canning's  daughter),  Earl  and 
Countess  Grey,  Sir  George  and  Lady 
29 


Mrs.   George    Bancroft's 

Grey,  etc.,  etc.  I  was  taken  out  by  Lord 
Palmerston,  with  Lord  Grey  on  the  other 
side,  and  found  the  whole  thing  very  like 
one  of  our  Washington  dinners,  and  I 
was  quite  as  much  at  my  ease,  and  they 
seemed  made  of  the  same  materials  as 
our  cabinet  at  home.  I  have  since  dined 
at  Lord  Morpeth's,  Lord  John  Rus- 
sell's, Lord  Mahon's,  Dr.  Holland's, 
Baron  Parke's,  the  Prussian  Minister's, 
and  to-day  we  dine  with  the  Duchess  of 
Inverness,  the  widow  of  the  Duke  of 
Sussex;  to-morrow  with  Mr.  Milman,  a 
prebend  of  Westminster  and  a  distin- 
guished man  of  letters.  We  have  been 
at  a  great  many  soirees,  at  Lady  Pal- 
merston's,  Lady  Grey's,  Lord  Auck- 
land's, Lady  Lewis's,  etc.,  etc. 

And    now,    having    given    you    some 

idea    whom    we    are    seeing    here,    you 

will  wish  to  know  how  I  like  them,  and 

how  they  differ  from  our  own  people. 

30 


Letters   from   England 

At  the  smaller  dinners  and  soirees  at  this 
season  I  cannot,  of  course,  receive  a  full 
impression  of  English  society,  but  cer- 
tainly those  persons  now  in  town  are 
charming  people.  Their  manners  are 
perfectly  simple  and  I  entirely  forget,  ex- 
cept when  their  historic  names  fall  upon 
my  ear,  that  I  am  with  the  proud  aris- 
tocracy of  England.  All  the  persons 
whose  names  I  have  mentioned  to  you 
give  one  a  decided  impression  not  only 
of  ability  and  agreeable  manners,  but  of 
excellence  and  the  domestic  virtues.  The 
furniture  and  houses,  too,  are  less  splen- 
did and  ostentatious,  than  those  of  our 
large  cities,  though  [they]  have  more 
plate,  and  liveried  servants.  The  forms 
of  society  and  the  standard  of  dress,  too, 
are  very  like  ours,  except  that  a  duchess 
or  a  countess  has  more  hereditary  point 
lace  and  diamonds.  The  general  style 
of  dress,  perhaps,  is  not  so  tasteful,  so 
31 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

simply  elegant  as  ours.  Upon  the  whole 
I  think  more  highly  of  our  own  country 
(I  mean  from  a  social  point  of  view 
alone)  than  before  I  came  abroad. 
There  is  less  superiority  over  us  in  man- 
ners and  all  the  social  arts  than  I  could 
have  believed  possible  in  a  country  where 
a  large  and  wealthy  class  have  been  set 
apart  from  time  immemorial  to  create, 
as  it  were,  a  social  standard  of  high  re- 
finement. The  chief  difference  that  I 
perceive  is  this :  In  our  country  the  posi- 
tion of  everybody  is  undefined  and  rests 
altogether  upon  public  opinion.  This 
leads  sometimes  to  a  little  assumption 
and  pretension  of  manner,  which  the 
highest  class  here,  whose  claims  are  al- 
ways allowed  by  all  about  them,  are 
never  tempted  to  put  on.  From  this  re- 
sults an  extreme  simplicity  of  manner, 
like  that  of  a  family  circle  among  us. 
What  I  have  said,  however,  applies 
32 


Letters   from   England 

less  to  the  South  than  to  the  large  cities 
of  the  North,  with  which  I  am  most  fa- 
miliar at  home.  I  hope  our  memory  will 
not  be  completely  effaced  in  Washington, 
for  we  cling  to  our  friends  there  with 
strong  interest.  Present  my  respectful 
regards  to  the  President,  and  my  love  to 
Mrs.  Walker  and  Miss  Rucker.  To  the 
Masons  also,  and  our  old  colleagues  all, 
and  pray  lay  your  royal  commands  upon 
somebody  to  write  me.  I  long  to  know 
what  is  going  on  in  Washington.  The 
Pleasantons  promised  to  do  so,  and  An- 
nie Payne,  to  whom  and  to  Mrs.  Madi- 
son give  also  my  best  love.  Believe  me 
yours  with  the  highest  regard, 

E.  D.  Bancroft. 


33 


Mrs.   George    Bancroft's 

December  z. 
Yesterday  we  dined  at  the  Prussian 
Minister's,  Chevalier  Bunsen's.  He  met 
your  father  in  Rome  twenty  years  since, 
and  has  received  us  with  great  enthusi- 
asm. Yesterday  at  dinner  he  actually 
rose  in  his  seat  and  made  quite  a  speech 
welcoming  him  to  England  as  historian, 
old  friend,  etc.,  and  ended  by  offering 
his  health,  which  your  father  replied  to 
shortly,  in  a  few  words.  Imagine  such 
an  outbreak  upon  routine  at  a  dinner  in 
England !  Nobody  could  have  done  it 
but  one  of  German  blood,  but  I  dare  say 
the  Everetts,  who  know  him,  could  im- 
agine it  all. 

To  W.  D.  B.  and  A.  B. 

London,  December  19,  1846. 

My  dear  Sons:     .     .    .    Yesterday 
we  dined  at  Macready's  and  met  quite  a 
new,  and  to  us,  a  most  agreeable  circle. 
34 


GEORGE    BANCROFT 
From  the  painting  by  C.  C.  Ingham  in  the  possession  of  William  J.  A.  Bliss 


Letters   from   England 

There  was  Carlyle,  who  talked  all  din- 
ner-time in  his  broad  Scotch,  in  the  most 
inimitable  way.  He  is  full  of  wit,  and 
happened  to  get  upon  James  L,  upon 
which  topic  he  was  superb.  Then  there 
was  Babbage,  the  great  mathematician, 
Fonblanc,  the  editor  of  the  Examiner, 
etc.,  etc.  The  day  before  we  dined  at 
Mr.  Frederick  Elliott's  with  a  small 
party  of  eight,  of  which  Lady  Morgan 
was  one,  and  also  a  brother  of  Lord  Nor- 
manby's,  whom  I  liked  very  much.  Lady 
Morgan,  who  had  not  hitherto  much 
pleased  me,  came  out  in  this  small  circle 
with  all  her  Irish  wit  and  humor,  and 
gave  me  quite  new  notions  of  her  talent. 
She  made  me  laugh  till  I  cried.  On  Sat- 
urday we  dined  at  Sir  Roderick  Murchi- 
son's,  the  President  of  the  Geological 
Society,  very  great  in  the  scientific  way. 
We  have  struck  up  a  great  friendship 
with  Miss  Murray,  the  Queen's  Maid 

35 


Mrs.   George    Bancroft's 

of  Honor,  who  paid  me  a  visit  of  three 
hours  to-day,  in  the  midst  of  which 
came  in  Colonel  Estcourt,  whom  I  was 
delighted  to  see,  as  you  may  suppose. 
Miss  Murray  is  to  me  a  very  interest- 
ing person,  though  a  great  talker;  a  con- 
venient fault  to  a  stranger.  She  is  con- 
nected with  half  the  noble  families  in 
England,  is  the  grand-daughter  of  the 
Duchess  of  Athol,  who  governed  the  Isle 
of  Man  as  a  queen,  and  the  descendant 
of  Scott's  Countess  of  Derby.  Though 
sprung  of  such  Tory  blood,  and  a  maid 
of  honor,  she  thinks  freely  upon  all  sub- 
jects. Religion,  politics,  and  persons, 
she  decides  upon  for  herself,  and  has  as 
many  benevolent  schemes  as  old  Madam 
Jackson. 

I  returned  the  visit  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 

Leslie,  the  painter,  this  week,  and  saw 

the  picture  he  is  now  painting  for  the 

Vice-Chancellor.     It  is  a  sketch  of  chil- 

36 


Letters  from   England 

dren,  a  boy  driving  his  two  little  sisters 
as  horses.  One  of  the  little  girls  is  very 
like  Susie,*  her  size,  hair,  and  complex- 
ion. How  I  longed  to  be  rich  enough 
to  order  a  copy,  but  his  pictures  cost  a 
fortune.  I  paid  also  a  visit  this  week  to 
the  Duchess  of  Inverness,  whom  I  found 
in  the  prettiest,  cosiest  morning  boudoir 
looking  onto  the  gardens  of  the  Palace. 
In  short,  I  do,  or  see,  every  hour,  some- 
thing that  if  I  were  a  traveller  only,  I 
could  make  quite  a  story  of. 

To  W.  D.  B.  and  A.  B. 

London,  January  I,  1847. 

My  dear  Sons  :  .  .  .  I  wrote  my 
last  sheet  on  the  19th  and  your  father 
went  on  that  day  to  Cambridge  to  be 
present  at  the  tri-centennial  celebration 
of  Trinity  College.  .  .  .  He  went 
also  the  day  after  the  anniversary,  which 

*Only  child  of  Mrs.  Bancroft's  second  marriage,  who  had 
died  at  the  age  of  seven. 

37 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

was  on  our  226!  December,  to  Ely,  with 
Peacock,  the  great  mathematician,  who 
is  Dean  of  Ely,  to  see  the  great  cathedral 
there.  .  .  .  While  he  was  at  Cam- 
bridge I  passed  the  evening  of  the  22d 
at  Lady  Morgan's,  who  happened  to 
have  a  most  agreeable  set.  .  .  .  Lady 
Morgan's  reunions  are  entertaining  to 
me  because  they  are  collections  of  lions, 
but  they  are  not  strictly  and  exclusively 
fashionable.  They  remind  me  in  their 
composition  from  various  circles  of  Mrs. 
Otis's  parties  in  Boston.  We  have  in 
this  respect  an  advantage  over  the  Eng- 
lish themselves,  as  in  our  position  we  see 
a  great  variety  of  cliques. 

For  instance,  last  evening,  the  31st, 
I  took  Louisa,  at  half-past  seven,  to  the 
house  of  Mr.  Hawes,  an  under  Secre- 
tary of  State,  to  see  a  beautiful  chil- 
dren's masque.  It  was  an  impersona- 
tion of  the  "Old  Year"  dressed  a  little 
38 


Letters   from   England 

like  Lear  with  snowy  hair  and  dra- 
peries. Old  Year  played  his  part  in- 
imitably, at  times  with  great  pathos, 
and  then  introducing  witty  hits  at  all 
the  doings  of  his  reign,  such  as  explod- 
ing cotton,  the  new  planet,  a  subject 
which  he  put  at  rest  as  "far  beyond  our 
reach,"  etc.,  etc.  He  then  introduced 
one  by  one  the  children  of  all  ages  as 
"Days"  of  the  coming  year.  There  was 
Twelfth  Day,  crowned  as  Queen  with 
her  cake  in  her  hands ;  there  was  Christ- 
mas, covered  with  holly  and  mistletoe; 
there  was  April  Fool's  Day,  dressed  as 
Harlequin;  there  was,  above  all,  Shrove 
Tuesday,  with  her  frying-pan  of  pan- 
cakes, dressed  as  a  little  cook;  there  was 
a  charming  boy  of  fourteen  or  fifteen,  as 
St.  Valentine's  Day  with  his  packet  of 
valentines  addressed  to  the  young  ladies 
present;  there  was  the  $th  of  November, 
full  of  wit  and  fun,  etc.;  the  longest  day, 

39 


Mrs.   George    Bancroft's 

an  elder  brother,  of  William's  height, 
with  a  cap  of  three  or  four  feet  high; 
and  his  little  sister  of  five,  as  the  shortest 
day.  This  was  all  arranged  to  music 
and  each  made  little  speeches,  introduc- 
ing themselves.  The  Old  Year,  after 
introducing  his  successors,  and  after 
much  pathos,  is  "going,  going — gone," 
and  falls  covered  with  his  drapery,  upon 
removing  which,  instead  of  the  lifeless 
body  of  the  Old  Year,  is  discovered  a 
sweet  little  flower-crowned  girl  of  five  or 
six,  as  the  New  Year.  It  was  charming, 
and  I  was  so  pleased  that,  instead  of 
taking  Louisa  away  at  nine  o'clock  as  I 
intended,  I  left  her  to  see  "Sir  Roger  de 
Coverly,"  in  the  dress  of  his  time. 

Last  night  at  Mr.  Putnam's,  I  met 
William  and  Mary  Howitt,  and  some  of 
the  lesser  lights.  I  have  put  down  my 
pen  to  answer  a  note,  just  brought  in,  to 
dine  next  Thursday  with  the  Dowager 
40 


ELIZABETH     DAVIS    BANCROFT 

From  the  painting  by  C.  C.  Ingham  in  the  possession  of  William  J.  A.  Bliss 


Letters   from   England 

Countess  of  Charleville,  where  we  were 
last  week,  in  the  evening.  She  is  eighty- 
four  (tell  this  to  Grandmamma)  and 
likes  still  to  surround  herself  with  beaux 
and  belles  esprits,  and  as  her  son  and 
daughter  reside  with  her,  this  is  still 
easy.  .  .  .  The  old  lady  talks  French 
as  fast  as  possible,  and  troubles  me  some- 
what by  talking  it  to  me,  forgetting  that 
a  foreign  minister's  wife  can  talk  Eng- 
lish. .  .  .  Your  father  likes  to  be 
here.  He  has  copying  going  on  in  the 
State  Paper  Office  and  British  Museum, 
and  his  heart  is  full  of  manuscripts.  It 
is  the  first  thought,  I  believe,  whoever 
he  sees,  what  papers  are  in  their  family. 
He  makes  great  interest  with  even  the 
ladies  sometimes  for  this  purpose.  Upon 
the  whole,  I  love  my  own  country  better 
than  ever,  but  whether  I  shall  not  miss, 
upon  my  return,  some  things  to  which  I 
am  gradually  getting  accustomed,  I  have 
41 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

yet  to  learn.  The  gratification  of  mixing 
constantly  with  those  foremost  in  the 
world  for  rank,  science,  literature,  or  all 
which  adorns  society  is  great,  but  there 
is  a  certain  yearning  toward  those  whose 
habits,  education,  and  modes  of  thought 
are  the  same  as  our  own,  which  I  never 
can  get  over.  In  the  full  tide  of  conver- 
sation I  often  stop  and  think,  "I  may 
unconsciously  be  jarring  the  prejudices 
or  preconceived  notions  of  these  people 
upon  a  thousand  points;  for  how  differ- 
ently have  I  been  trained  from  these 
women  of  high  rank,  and  men,  too,  with 
whom  I  am  now  thrown."  Upon  all 
topics  we  are  accustomed  to  think,  per- 
haps, with  more  latitude,  religion,  poli- 
tics, morals,  everything.  I  like  the 
English  extremely,  even  more  than  I  ex- 
pected, and  yet  happy  am  I  to  think  that 
our  own  best  portions  of  society  can  bear 
a  comparison  with  theirs.  When  I  see 
42 


Letters  from   England 

you  I  can  explain  to  you  the  differences, 
but  I  think  we  need  not  be  ashamed  of 
ourselves. 

To  I.  P.  D. 

London,  January  2,  1847. 

My  dear  Uncle:  ...  I  refer 
you  to  my  letters  to  my  boys,  for  all  the 
new  persons  and  places  we  may  have  seen 
lately,  while  I  give  you  for  Aunty's 
amusement  a  minute  account  of  my  visit 
into  the  country  at  Mr.  Bates's,  where 
things  are  managed  in  a  scrupulously 
English  manner,  so  that  it  will  give  her 
the  same  idea  of  country  life  here,  as  if 
it  were  a  nobleman's  castle.  Our  invi- 
tation was  to  arrive  on  Thursday,  the 
day  before  Christmas,  to  dine,  and  to 
remain  until  the  following  Tuesday 
morning.  His  place  is  at  East  Sheen, 
which  receives  its  name  from  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  word  for  beauty.  It  adjoins  Rich- 
mond Park,  beyond  which  is  the  cele- 
43 


Mrs.   George    Bancroft's 

brated  Richmond  Hill,  Twickenham, 
Kew,  etc.,  etc.  „  .  .  We  arrived  at 
East  Sheen  at  half-past  five;  but  I  ought 
first  to  mention  the  preparations  for  a 
country  excursion.  Our  own  carriage 
has,  of  course,  no  dickey  for  my  maid, 
or  conveniences  for  luggage,  so  we  take 
a  travelling  carriage.  The  imperials 
(which  are  large,  flat  boxes,  covering 
the  whole  top  of  the  carriage,  capital 
for  velvet  dresses,  and  smaller  ones  fit- 
ting into  all  the  seats  in  the  carriage, 
and  before  and  behind)  are  brought  to 
you  the  day  before.  I  am  merely  asked 
what  dresses  I  wish  taken,  and  that  is 
all  I  know  of  the  matter,  so  thoroughly 
does  an  English  maid  understand  her 
business.  We  were  shown  on  our  arri- 
val into  a  charming  room,  semi-library. 
In  a  few  minutes  a  servant  came  to 
show  me  to  my  apartment,  which  was 
very  superb,  with  a  comfortable  dress- 

44 


Letters   from   England 

ing-room  and  fire  for  Mr.  Bancroft, 
where  the  faithful  Keats  unpacked  his 
dressing  materials,  while  I  was  in  a  few 
moments  seated  at  the  toilet  to  undergo 
my  hair-dressing,  surrounded  by  all  my 
apparatus,  and  a  blazing  fire  to  welcome 
me  with  a  hissing  tea-kettle  of  hot  water 
and  every  comfort.  How  well  the  Eng- 
lish understand  it,  I  learn  more  and 
more  every  day.  My  maid  had  a  large 
room  above  me,  also  with  a  fire ;  indeed, 
a  "lady's"  maid  is  a  very  great  character 
indeed,  and  would  be  much  more  unwill- 
ing to  take  her  tea  with,  or  speak  famil- 
iarly to,  a  footman  or  a  housemaid  than 
I  should.  My  greatest  mistakes  in  Eng- 
land have  been  committed  toward  those 
high  dignitaries,  my  own  maid  and  the 
butler,  whose  grandeur  I  entirely  misap- 
preciated  and  invaded,  as  in  my  igno- 
rance I  placed  them,  as  we  do,  on  the 
same  level  with  other  servants.     She  has 

45 


Mrs.   George    Bancroft's 

her  fire  made  for  her,  and  loaf  sugar  in 
her  tea,  which  she  and  Cates  sip  in  soli- 
tary majesty.  However,  she  is  most  con- 
scientious and  worthy,  as  well  as  digni- 
fied, and  thoroughly  accomplished  in  her 
business.  As  all  these  things  are  pictures 
of  English  life,  I  mention  them  to  amuse 
Aunty,  who  likes  to  know  how  these  mat- 
ters are  managed. 

After  I  am  dressed,  I  join  the  circle 
in  the  library,  where  I  am  introduced  to 
Mr.  and  Madam  Van  de  Weyer,  and 
Louis  Buonaparte,  the  son  of  Louis,  the 
ex-King  of  Holland,  and  of  Hortense, 
Josephine's  daughter.  He  was  a  long 
time  imprisoned  in  the  fortress  of  Ham, 
and  has  not  long  been  free.  There  was 
also  Napoleon,  son  of  Jerome  Buona- 
parte, and  the  Princess  of  Wurtemberg. 
They  were  most  agreeable,  intelligent, 
and  amiable  young  men,  and  I  was  glad 
to  meet  them.  Lord  and  Lady  Lang- 
46 


Letters   from   England 

dale  (who  have  a  place  in  the  neighbor- 
hood) were  invited  to  dine  with  us.  He 
is  Master  of  the  Rolls  and  was  elevated 
to  the  peerage  from  great  distinction  at 
the  bar.  Lady  Langdale  is  a  sensible 
and  excellent  person.  At  dinner  I  sat 
between  Mr.  Bates  and  Lord  Langdale, 
whom  I  liked  very  much. 

The  next  morning  we  assembled  at  ten 
for  breakfast,  which  was  at  a  round 
table,  with  a  sort  of  circular  tray,  which 
turns  at  the  least  touch  in  the  centre, 
leaving  only  a  rim  round  the  table  for 
plates  and  cups.  This  was  covered  also 
with  a  white  cloth  and  on  it  were  placed 
all  the  breakfast  viands,  with  butter,  su- 
gar, cream,  bread,  toast-rack  and  pre- 
serves. You  need  no  servants,  but  turn 
it  round  and  help  yourself.  I  believe 
the  Van  de  Weyers  introduced  it,  from 
a  visit  in  Wales.  Tea  and  coffee  are 
served   from  a  side-table  always,  here. 

47 


Mrs.  George    Bancroft's 

Let  me  tell  Aunty  that  our  simple  break- 
fast dress  is  unknown  in  England.  You 
come  down  in  the  morning  dressed  for 
the  day,  until  six  or  seven  in  the  evening, 
when  your  dress  is  low  neck  and  short 
sleeves  for  dinner.  At  this  season  the 
morning  dress  is  a  rich  silk  or  velvet, 
high  body  quite  close  in  the  throat  with 
handsome  collar  and  cuffs,  and  always  a 
cap.  Madam  Van  de  Weyer  wore  every 
day  a  different  dress,  all  very  rich,  but  I 
adhered  to  a  black  watered  silk  with  the 
same  simple  cap  I  wore  at  home. 

I  took  a  drive  through  Richmond 
Park  (where  Henry  the  Eighth  watched 
to  see  a  signal  on  the  Tower  when  Anne 
Boleyn's  head  fell,  and  galloped  off  to 
marry  Jane  Seymour)  to  Richmond  Ter- 
race, which  is  ravishingly  beautiful  even 
at  this  season.  .  .  .  The  next  day 
the  gentlemen  all  went  to  town,  and 
Madam  Van  de  Weyer  and  I  passed  the 
48 


Letters   from   England 

day  tete-a-tete,  very  pleasantly,  as  her 
experience  in  diplomatic  life  is  very  use- 
ful to  me.  .  .  .  Her  manners  are 
very  pleasing  and  entirely  unaffected. 
She  has  great  tact  and  quickness  of  per- 
ception, great  intelligence  and  amiabil- 
ity and  is  altogether  extremely  well-fitted 
for  the  role  she  plays  in  life.  Her  hus- 
band is  charming.  .  .  .  They  have 
three  children,  very  lovely.  The  eldest, 
Victor,  a  fine  boy  of  seven  years  old,  Vic- 
toria, a  girl  of  four,  for  whom  the  Queen 
was  sponsor,  and  Albert,  to  whom  Prince 
Albert  performed  the  same  office.  This 
was,  of  course,  voluntary  in  the  royal 
parties,  as  it  was  not  a  favor  to  be  asked. 
.  .  .  Madam  Van  de  Weyer  is  not 
spoiled,  certainly,  by  the  prominent  part 
she  was  called  to  play  in  this  great  cen- 
tre of  the  world  at  so  early  an  age,  and 
makes  an  excellent  courtier.  I  could  not 
help  pitying  her,  however,  for  looking 

49 


Mrs.   George    Bancroft's 

forward  to  going  through,  year  after 
year,  the  same  round  of  ceremonies, 
forms,  and  society.  For  us,  it  is  a  new 
study,  and  invaluable  for  a  short  time; 
but  I  could  not  bear  it  for  life,  as  these 
European  diplomatists.  Besides,  we 
Americans  really  enjoy  a  kind  of  society, 
and  a  much  nearer  intercourse  than  other 
foreigners,  in  the  literary,  scientific,  and 
even  social  circles. 

On  Saturday  evening  Lord  William 
Fitzroy  and  daughter  joined  our  party 
with  Sir  William  Hooker  and  Lady 
Hooker.  ...  Sir  William  Hooker 
is  one  of  the  most  interesting  persons  I 
have  seen  in  England.  He  is  a  great 
naturalist  and  has  the  charge  of  the  great 
Botanical  Gardens  at  Kew.  He  devoted 
a  morning  to  us  there,  and  it  was  the 
most  delightful  one  I  have  passed.  There 
are  twenty-eight  different  conservatories 
filled  with  the  vegetable  wonders  of  the 
50 


Letters   from   England 

whole  world.  Length  of  time  and  regal 
wealth  have  conspired  to  make  the  Kew 
gardens  beyond  our  conceptions  entirely. 
.  .  .  Sir  William  pointed  out  to  us  all 
that  was  very  rare  or  curious,  which  add- 
ed much  to  my  pleasure.  .  .  .  He 
showed  us  a  drawing  of  the  largest 
flower  ever  known  on  earth,  which  Sir 
Stamford  Raffles  discovered  in  Sumatra. 
It  was  a  parasite  without  leaves  or  stem, 
and  the  flower  weighed  fifteen  pounds. 
Lady  Raffles  furnished  him  the  materials 
for  the  drawing.  I  dined  in  company 
with  her  not  long  ago,  and  regret  now 
that  I  did  not  make  her  tell  me  about 
the  wonders  of  that  region.  At  the  same 
dinner  you  may  meet  so  many  people, 
each  having  their  peculiar  gift,  that 
one  cannot  avail  oneself  of  the  oppor- 
tunity of  extracting  from  each  what  is 
precious.  I  always  wish  I  could  sit  by 
everybody  at  the  same  time,  and  I  could 
5» 


Mrs.  George    Bancroft's 

often  employ  a  dozen  heads,  if  I  had 
them,  instead  of  my  poor,  miserable  one. 
From  Sir  William  Hooker  /  learned  as 
much  about  the  vegetable  world,  as  Mr. 
Bancroft  did  from  the  Dean  of  Ely  on 
architecture,  when  he  expounded  to  him 
the  cathedral  of  Ely;  pointing  out  the 
successive  styles  of  the  Gothic,  and  the 
different  periods  in  which  the  different 
parts  were  built.  Books  are  dull  teach- 
ers compared  with  these  gifted  men  giv- 
ing you  a  lecture  upon  subjects  before 
your  eyes. 

On  Sunday  we  dined  with  our  own 
party;  on  Monday  some  diplomatic  peo- 
ple, the  Lisboas  and  one  of  Mr.  Bates's 
partners,  and  on  Tuesday  we  came  home. 
I  must  not  omit  a  visit  while  we  were 
there  from  Mr.  Taylor  (Van  Arte- 
velde),  who  is  son-in-law  of  Lord  Mont- 
eagle,  and  lives  in  the  neighborhood. 
He  has  a  fine  countenance  and  still  finer 
52 


Letters   from   England 

voice,  and  is  altogether  one  of  those  lit- 
erary persons  who  do  not  disappoint  you, 
but  whose  whole  being  is  equal  to  their 
works.  I  hope  to  see  more  of  him,  as 
they  spoke  of  "cultivating'  us,  and  Mr. 
Taylor  was  quite  a  protege  of  our  kind 
and  dear  friend,  Dr.  Holland,  and  dedi- 
cated his  last  poem  to  him.  This  ex- 
pression, "I  shall  cultivate  you,"  we  hear 
constantly,  and  it  strikes  me  as  oddly  as 
our  Western  "being  raised."  Indeed,  I 
hear  improper  Anglicisms  constantly, 
and  they  have  nearly  as  many  as  we 
have.  The  upper  classes,  here,  however, 
do  speak  English  so  roundly  and  fully, 
giving  every  letter  its  due,  that  it  pleases 
my  ear  amazingly. 

On  Wednesday  I  go  for  the  first  time 
to  Westminster  Abbey,  on  Epiphany,  to 
hear  the  Athanasian  Creed  chanted.  I 
have  as  yet  had  no  time  for  sight-seeing, 
as  the  days  are  so  short  that  necessary 

53 


Mrs.  George    Bancroft's 

visits  take  all  my  time.  No  one  goes  out 
in  a  carriage  till  after  two,  as  the  ser- 
vants dine  at  one,  and  in  the  morning 
early  the  footman  is  employed  in  the 
house.  A  coachman  never  leaves  his 
box  here,  and  a  footman  is  indispensable 
on  all  occasions.  No  visit  can  be  paid 
till  three;  and  this  gives  me  very  little 
time  in  these  short  days.  Everything 
here  is  inflexible  as  the  laws  of  the  Medes 
and  Persians,  and  though  I  am  called 
"Mistress"  even  by  old  Cates  with  his 
gray  hair  and  black  coat,  I  cannot  make 
one  of  them  do  anything,  except  by  the 
person  and  at  the  time  which  English 
custom  prescribes.  They  are  brought  up 
to  fill  certain  situations,  and  fill  them 
perfectly,  but  cannot  or  will  not  vary. 

I  am  frequently  asked  by  the  ladies 
here  if  I  have  formed  a  household  to 
please  me  and  I  am  obliged  to  confess 
that  I  have  a  very  nice  household,  but 

54 


Letters   from   England 

that  I  am  the  only  refractory  member  of 
it.  I  am  always  asking  the  wrong  per- 
son for  coals,  etc.,  etc.  The  division  of 
labor,  or  rather  ceremonies,  between  the 
butler  and  footman,  I  have  now  mastered 
I  believe  in  some  degree,  but  that  be- 
tween the  upper  and  under  house-maid 
is  still  a  profound  mystery  to  me,  though 
the  upper  has  explained  to  me  for  the 
twentieth  time  that  she  did  only  "the 
top  of  the  work."  My  cook  comes  up 
to  me  every  morning  for  orders,  and  al- 
ways drops  the  deepest  curtsey,  but  then 
I  doubt  if  her  hands  are  ever  profaned 
by  touching  a  poker,  and  she  never 
washes  a  dish.  She  is  cook  and  house- 
keeper, and  presides  over  the  housekeep- 
er's room;  which  has  a  Brussels  carpet 
and  centre  table,  with  one  side  entirely 
occupied  by  the  linen  presses,  of  which 
my  maid  (my  vice-regent,  only  much 
greater  than  me)  keeps  the  key  and  dis- 
ss 


Mrs.  George    Bancroft's 

penses  every  towel,  even  for  the  kitchen. 
She  keeps  lists  of  everything  and  would 
feel  bound  to  replace  anything  missing. 
I  shall  make  you  laugh  and  Mrs.  Good- 
win stare,  by  some  of  my  housekeeping 
stories,  the  next  evening  I  pass  in  your 
little  pleasant  parlor  (a  word  unknown 
here). 

To  W.  D.  B.  and  A.  B. 

London,  January  10,  1847. 

My  very  dear  Children:  .  .  . 
Yesterday  we  dined  at  Lady  Charle- 
ville's,  the  old  lady  of  eighty-four,  at 
whose  house  I  mentioned  an  evening 
visit  in  my  last,  and  I  must  tell  you  all 
about  it  to  entertain  dear  Grandma.  I 
will  be  minute  for  once,  and  give  you 
the  little  details  of  a  London  dinner,  and 
they  are  all  precisely  alike.  We  arrived 
at  Cavendish  Square  a  quarter  before 
seven  (very  early)  and  were  shown  into 
56 


Letters   from   England 

a  semi-library  on  the  same  floor  with  the 
dining-room.  The  servants  take  your 
cloak,  etc.,  in  the  passage,  and  I  am  never 
shown  into  a  room  with  a  mirror  as  with 
us,  and  never  into  a  chamber  or  bedroom. 
We  found  Lady  Charleville  and  her 
daughter  with  one  young  gentleman  with 
whom  I  chatted  till  dinner,  and  who,  I 
found,  was  Sir  William  Burdette,  son  of 
Sir  Francis  and  brother  of  Miss  Angel- 
ina Coutts.  I  happened  to  have  on  the 
corsage  of  my  black  velvet  a  white  moss 
rose  and  buds,  which  I  thought  rather 
youthful  for  me,  but  the  old  lady  had 
[them]  on  her  cap.  She  is  full  of  intelli- 
gence, and  has  always  been  in  the  habit 
of  drawing  a  great  deal.  .  .  .  Very 
soon  came  in  Lord  Aylmer,  [who]  was 
formerly  Governor  of  Canada,  and  Lady 
Colchester,  daughter  of  Lord  Ellenbor- 
ough,  a  very  pretty  woman  of  thirty-five, 
I  should  think;  Sir  William  and  Lady 

57 


Mrs.  George    Bancroft's 

Chatterton  and  Mr.  Algernon  Greville, 
whose  grandmother  wrote  the  beautiful 
"Prayer  for  Indifference,"  an  old  favor- 
ite of  mine,  and  Mr.  MacGregor,  the 
political  economist.  Lord  Aylmer  took 
me  out  and  I  found  him  a  nice  old  peer, 
and  discovered  that  ever  since  the  death 
of  his  uncle,  Lord  Whitworth,  whose 
title  is  extinct,  he  had  borne  the  arms 
of  both  Aylmer  and  Whitworth.  Mr. 
Bancroft  took  out  Lady  Colchester,  and 
the  old  lady  was  wheeled  out  precisely 
as  Grandma  is. 

At  table  she  helped  to  the  fish  (cod, 
garnished  round  with  smelts)  and  insist- 
ed on  carving  the  turkey  herself,  which 
she  did  extremely  well.  By  the  way,  I 
observe  they  never  carve  the  breast  of  a 
turkey  longitudinally,  as  we  do,  but  in 
short  slices,  a  little  diagonally  from  the 
centre.  This  makes  many  more  slices, 
and  quite  large  enough  where  there  are 
53 


Letters   from   England 

so  many  other  dishes.  The  four  entree 
dishes  are  always  placed  on  the  table 
when  we  sit  down,  according  to  our  old 
fashion,  and  not  one  by  one.  They  have 
[them]  warmed  with  hot  water,  so  that 
they  keep  hot  while  the  soup  and  fish 
are  eaten.  Turkey,  even  boiled  turkey, 
is  brought  on  after  the  entrees,  mutton 
(a  saddle  always)  or  venison,  with  a 
pheasant  or  partridges.  With  the  roast 
is  always  put  on  the  sweets,  as  they  are 
called,  as  the  term  dessert  seems  restrict- 
ed to  the  last  course  of  fruits.  During 
the  dinner  there  are  always  long  strips 
of  damask  all  round  the  table  which  are 
removed  before  the  dessert  is  put  on,  and 
there  is  no  brushing  of  crumbs.  You 
may  not  care  for  all  this,  but  the  house- 
keepers may.  I  had  Mr.  Greville  the 
other  side  of  me,  who  seemed  much  sur- 
prised that  I,  an  American,  should  know 
the  "Prayer  for  Indifference,"  which  he 

59 


Mrs.   George    Bancroft's 

doubted  if  twenty  persons   in  England 
read  in  these  modern  days. 

It  is  a  great  mystery  to  me  yet  how 
people  get  to  know  each  other  in  Lon- 
don. Persons  talk  to  you  whom  you  do 
not  know,  for  no  one  is  introduced,  as 
a  general  rule.  I  have  sometimes  quite 
an  acquaintance  with  a  person,  and  ex- 
change visits,  and  yet  do  not  succeed  for 
a  long  time  in  putting  the  name  and  the 
person  together.  .  .  .  It  is  a  great 
puzzle  to  a  stranger,  but  has  its  conven- 
iences for  the  English  themselves.  We 
are  endeavoring  to  become  acquainted 
with  the  English  mind,  not  only  through 
society,  but  through  its  products  in  other 
ways.  Natural  science  is  the  department 
into  which  they  seem  to  have  thrown 
their  intellect  most  effectively  for  the 
last  ten  or  fifteen  years.  We  are  read- 
ing Whewell's  ''History  of  the  Induc- 
tive Sciences,"  which  gives  one  a  sum- 
60 


Letters   from   England 

mary  of  what  has  been  accomplished  in 
that  way,  not  only  in  past  ages,  but  in 
the  present.  Every  moment  here  is  pre- 
cious to  me  and  I  am  anxious  to  make 
the  best  use  of  it,  but  I  have  immense 
demands  on  my  time  in  every  way. 

To  W.  D.  B.  and  A.  B. 

Tuesday  night,  January  19,  1847. 

To-day  we  have  been  present  at  the 
opening  of  Parliament,  but  how  can  I 
picture  to  you  the  interest  and  magnifi- 
cence of  the  scene.  I  will  begin  quite 
back,  and  give  you  all  the  preparations 
for  a  "Court  Day."  Ten  days  before, 
a  note  was  written  to  Lord  Willoughby 
d'Eresby,  informing  him  of  my  intention 
to  attend,  that  a  seat  might  be  reserved 
for  me,  and  also  soliciting  several  tickets 
for  American  ladies  and  gentlemen. 
.  .  I  cannot  take  them  with  me, 
however,  as  the  seat  assigned  to  the  la- 
61 


Mrs.   George    Bancroft's 

dies  of  Foreign  Ministers  is  very  near 
the  throne.  This  morning  when  I  awoke 
the  fog  was  thicker  than  I  ever  knew 
it,  even  here.  The  air  was  one  dense 
orange-colored  mass.  What  a  pity  the 
English  cannot  borrow  our  bright  blue 
skies  in  which  to  exhibit  their  royal 
pageants ! 

Mr.  Bancroft's  court  dress  had  not 
been  sent  home,  our  servants'  liveries  had 
not  made  their  appearance,  and  our  car- 
riage only  arrived  last  night,  and  I  had 
not  passed  judgment  upon  it.  Fogs  and 
tradesmen!  these  are  the  torments  of 
London.  Very  soon  came  the  tailor 
with  embroidered  dress,  sword,  and  cha- 
peau,  but,  alas!  Mr.  Isidore,  who  was 
to  have  dressed  my  hair  at  half-past  ten 
was  not  forthcoming,  and  to  complete 
my  perplexity,  he  had  my  head-dress  in 
his  possession.  At  last,  just  as  Russell 
had  resumed  her  office  at  the  toilet,  came 

6a 


Letters   from   England 

Isidore,  a  little  before  twelve,  coiffure 
and  all,  which  was  so  pretty  that  I  quite 
forgave  him  all  his  sins.  It  was  of  green 
leaves  and  white  fleur-de-lis,  with  a  white 
ostrich  feather  drooping  on  one  side.  I 
wear  my  hair  now  plain  in  front,  and  the 
wreath  was  very  flat  and  classical  in  its 
style.  My  dress  was  black  velvet  with 
a  very  rich  bertha.  A  bouquet  on  the 
front  of  fleur-de-lis,  like  the  coiffure,  and 
a  Cashmere  shawl,  completed  my  array. 
I  have  had  the  diamond  pin  and  earrings 
which  your  father  gave  me,  reset,  and 
made  into  a  magnificent  brooch,  and  so 
arranged  that  I  can  also  wear  it  as  a 
necklace  or  bracelet.  On  this  occasion 
it  was  my  necklace. 

Miss  Murray  came  to  go  with  me,  as 
she  wished  to  be  by  my  side  to  point 
out  everybody,  and  her  badge  as  Maid 
of  Honor  would  take  her  to  any  part  of 
the  house.  At  half-past  twelve  she  and 
63 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

I  set  out,  and  after  leaving  us  the  car- 
riage returned  for  your  father  and  Mr. 
Brodhead.  But  first  let  me  tell  you  some- 
thing of  our  equipage.  It  is  a  chariot, 
not  a  coach;  that  is,  it  has  but  one  seat, 
but  the  whole  front  being  glass  makes 
it  much  more  agreeable  to  such  persons 
as  have  not  large  families.  The  color 
is  maroon,  with  a  silver  moulding,  and 
has  the  American  arms  on  the  panel. 
The  liveries  are  blue  and  red;  on  Court 
Days  they  have  blue  plush  breeches,  and 
white  silk  stockings,  with  buckles  on 
their  shoes.  Your  father  leaves  all  these 
matters  to  me,  and  they  have  given  me 
no  little  plague.  When  I  thought  I  had 
arranged  everything  necessary,  the  coach- 
man, good  old  Brooks,  solicited  an  audi- 
ence a  day  or  two  ago,  and  began,  "Mis- 
tress, did  you  tell  them  to  send  the  pads 
and  the    fronts   and  the   hand-pieces?" 

"Heavens  and  earth !  what  are  all  these 

64 


Letters  from   England 

things?"  said  I.  "Why,  ma'am,  we  al- 
ways has  pads  under  the  saddle  on  Court 
Days,  trimmed  round  with  the  colors  of 
the  livery,  and  we  has  fronts  made  of 
ribbin  for  the  horses'  heads,  and  we  has 
white  hand-pieces  for  the  reins."  This 
is  a  specimen  of  the  little  troubles  of 
court  life,  but  it  has  its  compensations. 
To  go  back  to  Miss  Murray  and  myself, 
who  are  driving  through  the  park  be- 
tween files  of  people,  thousands  and 
thousands  all  awaiting  with  patient,  loyal 
faces  the  passage  of  the  Queen  and  of 
the  State  carriages.  The  Queen's  was 
drawn  by  eight  cream-colored  horses,  and 
the  servants  flaming  with  scarlet  and 
gold.  This  part  of  the  park,  near  the 
palace,  is  only  accessible  to  the  carriages 
of  the  foreign  ministers,  ministers,  and 
officers  of  the  household. 

We  arrive  at  the  Parliament  House, 
move  through  the  long  corridor  and  give 
65 


Mrs.  George    Bancroft's 

up  our  tickets  at  the  door  of  the  cham- 
ber. It  is  a  very  long,  narrow  room. 
At  the  upper  end  is  the  throne,  on  the 
right  is  the  seat  of  the  ambassadors,  on 
the  left,  of  their  ladies.  Just  in  front 
of  the  throne  is  the  wool-sack  of  the 
Lord  Chancellor,  looking  like  a  draw- 
ing-room divan,  covered  with  crimson 
velvet.  Below  this  are  rows  of  seats  for 
the  judges,  who  are  all  in  their  wigs  and 
scarlet  robes;  the  bishops  and  the  peers, 
all  in  robes  of  scarlet  and  ermine.  Op- 
posite the  throne  at  the  lower  end  is  the 
Bar  of  the  Commons.  On  the  right  of 
the  Queen's  chair  is  a  vacant  one,  on 
which  is  carved  the  three  plumes,  the 
insignia  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  who  will 
occupy  it  when  he  is  seven  or  nine  years 
old;  on  the  left  Prince  Albert  sits. 

The  seat  assigned  me  was  in  the  front 
row,  and  quite  open,  like  a  sofa,  so  that 
I  could  talk  with  any  gentleman  whom 

66 


Letters   from   England 

I  knew.  Madam  Van  de  Weyer  was 
on  one  side  of  me  and  the  Princess  Calli- 
machi  on  the  other,  and  Miss  Murray 
just  behind  me.  She  insisted  on  intro- 
ducing to  me  all  her  noble  relatives. 
Her  cousin,  the  young  Duke  of  Athol; 
the  Duke  of  Buccleuch;  her  nephew  the 
Marquis  of  Camden;  her  brother  the 
Bishop  of  Rochester.  There  were  many 
whom  I  had  seen  before,  so  that  the 
hour  passed  very  agreeably.  Very  soon 
came  in  the  Duke  of  Cambridge,  at 
which  everybody  rose,  he  being  a  royal 
duke.  He  was  dressed  in  the  scarlet 
kingly  robe,  trimmed  with  ermine,  and 
with  his  white  hair  and  whiskers  (he  is 
an  old  man)  was  most  picturesque  and 
scenic,  reminding  me  of  King  Lear  and 
other  stage  kings.  He  requested  to  be 
introduced  to  me,  upon  which  I  rose,  of 
course.  He  soon  said,  "Be  seated,"  and 
we  went  on  with  the  conversation.  I 
67 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

told  him  how  much  I  liked  Kew  Gar- 
den, where  he  has  a  favorite  place. 

When  I  first  entered  I  was  greeted 
very  cordially  by  a  personage  in  a  black 
gown  and  wig,  whom  I  did  not  know. 
He  laughed  and  said:  "I  am  Mr.  Sen- 
ior, whom  you  saw  only  Saturday 
evening,  but  you  do  not  know  me  in 
my  wig."  It  is,  indeed,  an  entire  trans- 
formation, for  it  reaches  down  on  the 
shoulders.  He  is  a  master  in  chancery. 
He  stood  by  me  nearly  all  the  time 
and  pointed  out  many  of  the  judges, 
and  some  persons  not  in  Miss  Murray's 
line. 

But  the  trumpets  sound!  the  Queen 
approaches !  The  trumpet  continues,  and 
first  enter  at  a  side  door  close  at  my  el- 
bow the  college  of  heralds  richly  dressed, 
slowly,  two  and  two;  then  the  great  offi- 
cers of  the  household,  then  the  Lord 
Chancellor  bearing  the  purse,  seal,  and 

68 


Letters  from   England 

speech  of  the  Queen,  with  the  mace- 
bearers  before  him.  Then  Lord  Lans- 
downe  with  the  crown,  the  Earl  of  Zet- 
land, with  the  cap  of  maintenance,  and 
the  Duke  of  Wellington,  with  the  sword 
of  State.  Then  Prince  Albert,  leading 
the  Queen,  followed  by  the  Duchess  of 
Sutherland,  Mistress  of  the  Robes,  and 
the  Marchioness  of  Douro,  daughter-in- 
law  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  who  is 
one  of  the  ladies  in  waiting.  The  Queen 
and  Prince  sit  down,  while  everybody 
else  remains  standing.  The  Queen  then 
says  in  a  voice  most  clear  and  sweet: 
uMy  lords  (rolling  the  r),  be  seated." 
Upon  which  the  peers  sit  down,  except 
those  who  enter  with  the  Queen,  who 
group  themselves  about  the  throne  in  the 
most  picturesque  manner.  The  Queen 
had  a  crown  of  diamonds,  with  splendid 
necklace   and   stomacher   of   the   same. 

The  Duchess  of  Sutherland  close  by  her 
69 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

side  with  her  ducal  coronet  of  diamonds, 
and  a  little  back,  Lady  Douro,  also,  with 
her  coronet.  On  the  right  of  the  throne 
stood  the  Lord  Chancellor,  with  scarlet 
robe  and  flowing  wig,  holding  the  speech, 
surrounded  by  the  emblems  of  his  office; 
a  little  farther,  one  step  lower  down, 
Lord  Lansdowne,  holding  the  crown  on 
a  crimson  velvet  cushion,  and  on  the  left 
the  Duke  of  Wellington,  brandishing  the 
sword  of  State  in  the  air,  with  the  Earl 
of  Zetland  by  his  side.  The  Queen's 
train  of  royal  purple,  or  rather  deep 
crimson,  was  borne  by  many  train-bear- 
ers. The  whole  scene  seemed  to  me  like 
a  dream  or  a  vision.  After  a  few  min- 
utes the  Lord  Chancellor  came  forward 
and  presented  the  speech  to  the  Queen. 
She  read  it  sitting  and  most  exquisitely. 
Her  voice  is  flute-like  and  her  whole  em- 
phasis   decided    and    intelligent.      Very 

soon  after  the  speech  is  finished  she  leaves 
70 


THE     DUKE    OF    WELLINGTON 


From  the  portrait  by  Count  Alfred  D'Orsay :   photograph  copyright  by 
Walker  &  Cockerell,  London 


Letters   from   England 

the  House,  and  we  all  follow,  as  soon 
as  we  can  get  our  carriages. 

Lord  Lansdowne  told  me  before  she 
came  in  that  the  speech  would  be  longer 
than  usual,  "but  not  so  long  as  your 
President's  speeches."  It  has  been  a  day 
of  high  pleasure  and  more  like  a  romance 
than  a  reality  to  me,  and  being  in  the 
very  midst  of  it  as  I  was,  made  it  more 
striking  than  if  I  had  looked  on  from  a 
distant  gallery. 

To  W.  D.  B.  and  A.  B. 

London,  February  7,  1847. 

My  dear  Sons  :  ...  On  Friday 
we  dined  with  two  bachelors,  Mr.  Pea- 
body  and  Mr.  Coates,  who  are  Ameri- 
can bankers.  Mr.  Peabody  is  a  friend 
of  Mr.  Corcoran  and  was  formerly  a 
partner  of  Mr.  Riggs  in  Baltimore.  Mr. 
Coates  is  of  Boston.  .  .  .  They  mus- 
tered up  all  the  Americans  that  could 
71 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

be  found,  and  we  dined  with  twenty-six 
of  our  countrymen. 

Monday  Morning. 

Last  evening  we  were  at  home  to  see 
any  Americans  who  might  chance  to 
come.  ...  I  make  tea  in  the  draw- 
ing-room, on  a  little  table  with  a  white 
cloth,  which  would  not  be  esteemed 
comme  il  faut  with  us.  There  is  none 
of  the  parade  of  eating  in  the  largest 
evening  party  here.  I  see  nothing  but 
tea,  and  sometimes  find  an  informal  re- 
freshment table  in  the  room  where  we 
put  on  our  cloaks. 

I  got  a  note  yesterday  from  the  O'Con- 
nor Don,  enclosing  an  order  to  admit 
me  to  the  House  of  Commons  on  Mon- 
day. .  .  .  You  will  be  curious  to 
know  who  is  "The  O'Connor  Don." 
He  is  Dennis  O'Connor,  Esq.,  but  is 
of   the   oldest    family   in    Ireland,    and 

the  representative  of  the  last  kings  of 

72 


Letters  from   England 

Connaught.  He  is  called  altogether 
the  O'Connor  Don,  and  begins  his  note 
to  me  with  that  title.  You  remem- 
ber Campbell's  poem  of  "O'Connor's 
Child"? 

Sunday,  14th  February. 

.  .  .  Yesterday  morning  was  my 
breakfast  at  Sir  Robert  Inglis's.  The 
hour  was  halfpast  nine,  and  as  his  house 
is  two  miles  off  I  had  to  be  up  wondrous 
early  for  me.  The  weather  has  been  very 
cold  for  this  climate  for  the  last  few 
days,  though  we  should  think  it  moder- 
ate. They  know  nothing  of  extreme 
cold  here.  But,  to  return  to  our  break- 
fast, where,  notwithstanding  the  cold, 
the  guests  were  punctually  assembled: 
The  Marquis  of  Northampton  and  his 
two  sisters,  the  Bishop  of  London  with 
his  black  apron,  Sir  Stratford  Canning, 
Mr.  Rutherford,  Lord  Advocate  for 
Scotland,  the  Solicitor-General  and  one 

73 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

or  two  others.  The  conversation  was 
very  agreeable  and  I  enjoyed  my  first 
specimen  of  an  English  breakfast  ex- 
ceedingly. .  .  .  Our  invitations  jostle 
each  other,  now  Parliament  has  begun, 
for  everybody  invites  on  Wednesday, 
Saturday,  or  Sunday,  when  there  are  no 
debates.  We  had  three  dinner  invita- 
tions for  next  Wednesday,  from  Mr. 
Harcourt,  Marquis  of  Anglesey,  and 
Mrs.  Mansfield.  We  go  to  the  former. 
The  Queen  held  a  levee  on  Friday,  for 
gentlemen  only.  Your  father  went,  of 
course. 

Sunday,  February  21st. 
I  left  off  on  Sunday,  on  which  day 
I  got  a  note  from  Lady  Morgan,  saying 
that  she  wished  us  to  come  and  meet  some 
agreeables  at  her  house.  .  .  .  There 
I  met  Sir  William  and  Lady  Moles- 
worth,  Sir  Benjamin  Hall,  etc.,  and  had 
a  long  talk  with  "Eothen,"  who  is  a  quiet, 
74 


SIR    STRATFORD    CANNING 

From  the  drawing  by  Richmond,  made  about  1848,  by  permission  of  the 
Hon.  Louisa  Canning 


Letters   from   England 

unobtrusive  person  in  manner,  though 
his  book  is  quite  an  effervescence.  .  .  . 
On  Wednesday  we  dined  with  Mr.  Har- 
court,  and  met  there  Lord  Brougham, 
who  did  the  talking  chiefly,  Lord  and 
Lady  Mahon,  Mr.  Labouchere,  etc.  It 
was  a  most  agreeable  party,  and  we  were 
very  glad  to  meet  Lord  Brougham, 
whom  we  had  not  before  seen. 

Lord  Brougham  is  entertaining,  and 
very  much  listened  to.  Indeed,  the  Eng- 
lish habit  seems  to  be  to  suffer  a  few  peo- 
ple to  do  up  a  great  part  of  the  talking, 
such  as  Macaulay,  Brougham,  and  Syd- 
ney Smith  and  Mackintosh  in  their  day. 
.  .  .  On  Saturday  evening,  at  ten 
o'clock,  we  went  to  a  little  party  at  Lady 
Stratheden's.  After  staying  there  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour  we  went  to  Lady 
Palmerston's,  where  were  all  the  great 
London  world,  the  Duchess  of  Suther- 
land among  the  number.     She  is  most 

75 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

noble,  and  at  the  same  time  lovely. 
.  .  .  We  had  an  autograph  note  from 
Sir  Robert  Peel,  inviting  us  to  dine  next 
Saturday,  and  were  engaged.  I  hope 
they  will  ask  us  again,  for  I  know  few 
things  better  than  to  see  him,  as  we 
should  in  dining  there.  I  have  the  same 
interest  in  seeing  the  really  distinguished 
men  of  England,  that  I  should  have  in 
the  pictures  and  statues  of  Rome,  and  in- 
deed, much  greater.  I  wish  I  was  better 
prepared  for  my  life  here  by  a  more  ex- 
tensive culture;  mere  fine  ladyism  will 
not  do,  or  prosy  bluism,  but  one  needs 
for  a  thorough  enjoyment  of  society,  a 
healthy,  practical,  and  extensive  culture, 
and  a  use  of  the  modern  languages  in 
our  position  would  be  convenient.  I  do 
not  know  how  a  gentleman  can  get  on 
without  it  here,  and  I  find  it  so  desirable 
that  I  devote  a  good  deal  of  time  to 
speaking  French  with  Louisa's  governess. 
76 


Letters   from   England 

Your  father  uses  French  a  great  deal 
with  his  colleagues,  who,  many  of  them, 
speak  English  with  great  difficulty,  and 
some  not  at  all.  .  .  .  Lady  Charlotte 
Lindsay  came  one  day  this  week  to  en- 
gage us  to  dine  with  her  on  Wednesday, 
but  yesterday  she  came  to  say  that  she 
wanted  Lord  Brougham  to  meet  us,  and 
he  could  not  come  till  Friday.  Fortu- 
nately we  had  no  dinner  engagement  on 
that  day,  and  we  are  to  meet  also  the 
Miss  Berrys;  Horace  Walpole's  Miss 
Berrys,  who  with  Lady  Charlotte  her- 
self, are  the  last  remnants  of  the  old 
school  here. 

To  I.  P.  D. 

February  21st. 

My  dear  Uncle  :  .  .  .  I  wrote 
[J.  D.]  a  week  or  two  before  I  heard 
of  his  death,  but  was  unable  to  tell  him 
anything  of  Lord  North,  as  I  had  not 

77 


Mrs.   George   Bancroft's 

met  Lady  Charlotte  Lindsay.  I  have 
seen  her  twice  this  week  at  Baron  Parke's 
and  at  Lord  Campbell's,  and  told  her 
how  much  I  had  wished  to  do  so  before, 
and  on  what  account.  She  says  her  father 
heard  reading  with  great  pleasure,  and 
that  one  of  her  sisters  could  read  the 
classics :  Latin  and,  I  think,  Greek,  which 
he  enjoyed  to  the  last.  She  says  that 
he  never  complained  of  losing  his  sight, 
but  that  her  mother  has  told  her  that  it 
worried  him  in  his  old  age  that  he  re- 
mained Minister  during  our  troubles  at 
a  period  when  he  wished,  himself,  to  re- 
sign. He  sometimes  talked  of  it  in  the 
solitude  of  sleepless  nights,  her  mother 
has  told  her. 

On  Tuesday  morning  we  were  invited 
by  Dr.  Buckland,  the  Dean  of  Westmin- 
ster, to  go  to  his  house,  and  from  thence 
to  the  Abbey,  to  witness  the  funeral  of 
the  Duke  of  Northumberland.  The 
78 


Letters   from   England 

Dean,  who  has  control  of  everything  in 
the  Abbey,  issued  tickets  to  several  hun- 
dred persons  to  go  and  witness  the  fu- 
neral, but  only  Lord  Northampton's 
family,  the  Bunsens  (the  Prussian  Min- 
ister) ,  and  ourselves,  went  to  his  house, 
and  into  the  Dean's  little  gallery. 

After  the  ceremony  there  were  a  crowd 
of  visitors  at  the  Dean's,  and  I  met  many 
old  acquaintances,  and  made  many  new 
ones,  among  whom  were  Lady  Chantrey, 
a  nice  person.  After  the  crowd  cleared 
off,  we  sat  down  to  a  long  table  at  lunch, 
always  an  important  meal  here,  and 
afterward  the  Dean  took  me  on  his  arm 
and  showed  me  everything  within  the 
Abbey  precincts.  He  took  us  first  to  the 
Percy  Chapel  to  see  the  vault  of  the 
Percys.  .  .  .  From  thence  the  Dean 
took  us  to  the  Jerusalem  chamber  where 
Henry  IV  died,  then  all  over  the  West- 
minster school.    We  first  went  to  the  hall 

79 


Mrs.   George   Bancroft's 

where  the  young  men  were  eating  their 
dinner.  .  .  .  We  then  went  to  the 
school-room,  where  every  inch  of  the  wall 
and  benches  is  covered  with  names,  some 
of  them  most  illustrious,  as  Dryden's. 
There  were  two  bunches  of  rods,  which 
the  Dean  assured  me  were  not  mere  sym- 
bols of  power,  but  were  daily  used,  as, 
indeed,  the  broken  twigs  scattered  upon 
the  floor  plainly  showed.  Our  ferules 
are  thought  rather  barbarous,  but  a  gen- 
tle touch  from  a  slender  twig  not  at  all 
so.  These  young  men  looked  to  me  as 
old  as  our  collegians.  We  then  went  to 
their  study-rooms,  play-rooms,  and  sleep- 
ing-rooms. The  whole  forty  sleep  in 
one  long  and  well-ventilated  room,  the 
walls  of  which  were  also  covered  with 
names.  At  the  foot  of  each  bed  was  a 
large  chest  covered  with  leather,  as 
mouldering  and  time-worn  as  the  Abbey 
itself.  Here  are  educated  the  sons  of 
80 


Letters   from   England 

some  of  the  noblest  families,  and  the 
Archbishop  of  York  has  had  six  sons 
here,  and  all  of  them  were  in  succession 
the  Captain  of  the  school.     .     .     . 

On  Wednesday  evening  we  went  first 
to  our  friends,  the  Bunsens,  where  we 
were  invited  to  meet  the  Duchess  of 
Sutherland  with  a  few  other  persons. 
Bunsen  is  very  popular  here.  He  is 
learned  and  accomplished,  and  was  so 
much  praised  in  the  Biography  of  Dr. 
Arnold,  the  late  historian  of  Rome,  that 
he  has  great  reputation  in  the  world  of 
letters.  .  .  .  Altogether  we  have 
great  pleasure  in  the  society  of  Chevalier 
and  Madam  Bunsen,  and  in  those  whom 
we  meet  at  their  house.  On  this  occa- 
sion we  only  stayed  half  an  hour,  which 
I  passed  in  talking  with  the  Bishop  of 
Norwich  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  Stanley,  and 
went  to  Lady  Morgan's  without  waiting 
till   the   Duchess   of   Sutherland   came. 

81 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

There  we  found  her  little  rooms  full  of 
agreeable  people.  .  .  .  The  next  day, 
Thursday,  there  was  a  grand  opera  for 
the  benefit  of  the  Irish,  and  all  the  Diplo- 
matic Corps  were  obliged  to  take  boxes. 
Lady  Palmerston,  who  was  one  of  the 
three  patronesses,  secured  a  very  good 
box  for  us,  directly  opposite  the  Queen, 
and  only  three  from  the  stage. 

We  took  with  us  Mrs.  Milman  and 
W.  T.  Davis,  to  whom  it  gave  a  grand 
opportunity  of  seeing  the  Queen  and  the 
assembled  aristocracy,  at  least  all  who 
are  now  in  London.  "God  save  the 
Queen,"  sung  with  the  whole  audience 
standing,  was  a  noble  sight.  The  Queen 
also  stood,  and  at  the  end  gave  three 
curtsies.  On  Friday  Captain  and  Mrs. 
Wormeley,  with  Miss  Wormeley,  dined 
with  us,  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carlyle, 
Miss  Murray,  the  Maid  of  Honor,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pell  of  New  York,  with  Will- 
82 


Letters   from   England 

iam  T.  and  Mr.  Brodhead.  William 
was  very  glad  to  see  Carlyle,  who  showed 
himself  off  to  perfection,  uttering  his 
paradoxes  in  broad  Scotch. 

Last  evening  we  dined  at  Mr.  Thomas 
Baring's,  and  a  most  agreeable  dinner  it 
was.  The  company  consisted  of  twelve 
persons,  Lord  and  Lady  Ashburton,  etc. 
I  like  Lady  Ashburton  extremely.  She 
is  full  of  intelligence,  reads  everything, 
talks  most  agreeably,  and  still  loves 
America.  She  is  by  no  means  one  of 
those  who  abjure  their  parent  country. 
I  have  seen  few  persons  in  England 
whom  I  should  esteem  a  more  delight- 
ful friend  or  companion  than  Lady  Ash- 
burton, and  I  do  not  know  why,  but  I 
had  received  a  different  impression  of 
her.  Lord  Ashburton,  by  whom  I  sat 
at  dinner,  struck  me  as  still  one  of  the 
most  agreeable,  as  well  as  one  of  the 
wisest,  men  I  have  seen  in  England. 
83     . 


Mrs.   George   Bancroft's 

Lady  Ashburton,  who  was  sitting  by  Mr. 
Bancroft,  leant  forward  and  said  to  her 
husband,  "We  can  bring  bushels  of  corn 
this  year  to  England."  "Who  do  you 
mean  by  we?"  said  he.  "Why,  we 
Americans,  to  be  sure." 

Monday  Evening. 

Yesterday  we  dined  at  Count  St.  Au- 
lair's,  the  French  Ambassador,  who  is  a 
charming  old  man  of  the  old  French 
school,  at  a  sort  of  amicable  dinner  given 
to  Lord  and  Lady  Palmerston.  Lord 
John  Russell  was  of  the  party,  with  the 
Russian  Ambassador  and  lady,  Mr.  and 
Madam  Van  de  Weyer,  the  Prussian 
and  Turkish  Ministers.  The  house  of 
the  French  Embassy  is  fine,  but  these 
formal  grand  dinners  are  not  so  charm- 
ing as  the  small  ones.  The  present  state 
of  feeling  between  Lord  Palmerston  and 
the  French  Government  gave  it  a  kind 
of  interest,  however,  and  it  certainly 
84 


LORD    ASHBURTON 
After  Sir  T.  Lawrenee,  R.  A. 


Letters   from   England 

went  off  in  a  much  better  spirit  than 
Lady  Normanby's  famous  party,  which 
Guizot  would  not  attend.  It  seems  very 
odd  to  me  to  be  in  the  midst  of  these  Eu- 
ropean affairs,  which  I  have  all  my  life 
looked  upon  from  so  great  a  distance. 

To  Mrs.  W.  W.  Story 

London,  March  23,  1847. 

My  dear  Mrs.  Story:  I  should  have 
thanked  you  by  the  last  steamer  for  your 
note  and  the  charming  volume  which 
accompanied  it,  but  my  thoughts  and 
feelings  were  so  much  occupied  by  the 
sad  tidings  I  heard  from  my  own  family 
that  I  wrote  to  no  one  out  of  it.  The 
poems,  which  would  at  all  times  have 
given  me  great  pleasure,  gave  me  still 
more  here  than  they  would  if  I  were  with 
you  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic. 
I  am  not  cosmopolitan  enough  to  love 
any  nature  so  well  as  our  American  nat- 
85 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

ure,  and  in  addition  to  the  charm  of  its 
poetry,  every  piece  brought  up  to  me  the 
scenes  amidst  which  it  had  been  written. 
.  .  .  How  dear  these  associations  are 
your  husband  will  soon  know  when  he 
too  is  separated  from  his  native  shores 
and  from  those  he  loves.  ...  I  shall 
look  forward  with  great  pleasure  to  see- 
ing him  here,  and  only  wish  you  were  to 
accompany  him,  for  your  own  sake,  for 
his,  and  for  ours.  His  various  culture 
will  enable  him  to  enjoy  most  fully  all 
that  Europe  can  yield  him  in  every  de- 
partment. My  own  regret  ever  since  I 
have  been  here  has  been  that  the  seed  has 
not  "fallen  upon  better  ground,"  for 
though  I  thought  myself  not  ignorant 
wholly,  I  certainly  lose  much  that  I 
might  enjoy  more  keenly  if  I  were  bet- 
ter prepared  for  it.  I  envy  the  pleas- 
ure which  Mr.  Story  will  receive  from 
music,   painting,   and   sculpture   in   Eu- 

86 


Letters   from   England 

rope,  even  if  he  were  destitute  of  the 
creative  inspiration  which  he  will  take 
with  him.  For  ourselves,  we  have 
everything  to  make  us  happy  here,  and 
I  should  be  quite  so,  if  I  could  forget 
that  I  had  a  country  and  children  and 
very  dear  friends  3,000  miles  away. 
.  .  .  There  are  certain  sympathies  of 
country  which  one  cannot  overcome. 
On  the  other  hand  I  certainly  enjoy  pleas- 
ures of  the  highest  kind,  and  am  every 
day  floated  like  one  in  a  dream  into  the 
midst  of  persons  and  scenes  that  make 
my  life  seem  more  like  a  drama  than  a 
reality.  Nothing  is  more  unreal  than 
the  actual  presence  of  persons  of  whom 
one  has  heard  much,  and  long  wished  to 
see.  One  day  I  find  myself  at  dinner 
by  the  side  of  Sir  Robert  Peel,  another 
by  Lord  John  Russell,  or  at  Lord  Lans- 
downe's  table,  with  Mrs.  Norton,  or  at 
a  charming  breakfast  with  Mr.  Rogers, 
87 


Mrs.   George   Bancroft's 

surrounded  by  pictures  and  marbles,  or 
with  tall  feathers  and  a  long  train,  mak- 
ing curtsies  to  a  queen. 

To  W.  D.  B.  and  A.  B. 

London,  April  2,  [1847.] 

Here  it  is  the  day  before  the  de- 
spatches leave  and  I  have  not  written  a 
single  line  to  you.  .  .  .  On  Friday 
we  dined  at  Lady  Charlotte  Lindsay's, 
where  were  Lord  Brougham  and  Lady 
Mallet,  Mr.  Rogers  and  the  Bishop  of 
Norwich  and  his  wife.  In  the  evening 
Miss  Agnes  Berry,  who  never  goes  out 
now,  came  on  purpose  to  appoint  an 
evening  to  go  and  see  her  sister,  who 
is  the  one  that  Horace  Walpole  wished 
to  marry,  and  to  whom  so  many  of  his 
later  letters  are  addressed.  She  is  eighty- 
four,  her  sister  a  few  years  younger  and 
Lady  Charlotte  not  much  their  junior. 

These  remnants  of  the  b die s-e sprits  of 

88 


MISS 


BERRY,  AT  THE  AGE  OF  86 


From  a  crayon  drawing  by  J.  R.  Swinton  (1850) ;  from  a  picture  owned  by 
Elizabeth  B.  Bliss 


Letters  from   England 

the  last  age  are  charming  to  me.  They 
have  a  vast  and  long  experience  of  the 
best  social  circles,  with  native  wit,  and 
constant  practice  in  the  conversation  of 
society.  .  .  .  On  Wednesday,  we 
dined  at  Sir  Robert  Peel's,  with  whom 
I  was  more  charmed  than  with  anybody 
I  have  seen  yet.  I  sat  between  him  and 
the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons. 
I  was  told  that  he  was  stiff  and  stately 
in  his  manners,  but  did  not  think  him 
so,  and  am  inclined  to  imagine  that  free 
from  the  burden  of  the  Premiership,  he 
unbends  more.  He  talked  constantly 
with  me,  and  in  speaking  of  a  certain 
picture  said,  "When  you  come  to  Dray- 
ton Manor  I  shall  show  it  to  you."  I 
should  like  to  go  there,  but  to  see  him- 
self even  more  than  his  pictures.  Lady 
Peel  is  still  a  very  handsome  woman. 

The  next  morning  we  breakfasted  with 
Mr.  Rogers.    He  lives,  as  you  probably 

8) 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

know,  in  [a]  beautiful  house,  though 
small,  whose  rooms  look  upon  the  Green 
Park,  and  filled  with  pictures  and  mar- 
bles. We  stayed  an  hour  or  more  after 
the  other  guests,  listening  to  his  stores 
of  literary  anecdote  and  pleasant  talk.  In 
the  evening  we  went  to  the  Miss  Berrys', 
where  we  found  Lord  Morpeth,  who  is 
much  attached  to  them.  Miss  Berry  put 
her  hand  on  his  head,  which  is  getting  a 
little  gray,  and  said:  "Ah,  George,  and 
I  remember  the  day  you  were  born,  your 
grandmother  brought  you  and  put  you 
in  my  arms."  Now  this  grandmother 
of  Lord  Morpeth's  was  the  celebrated 
Duchess  of  Devonshire,  who  election- 
eered for  Fox,  and  he  led  her  to  tell 
me  all  about  her.  "Eothen"  was  also 
there,  Lady  Lewis  and  many  of  my 
friends.  .  .  .  Aunty  wishes  to  know 
who  is  "Eothen."  She  has  probably 
read  his  book,  "Eothen,  or  Traces  of 
9o 


A.    W.    K.INGLAKE    ("  EOTHEN  ") 

From  a  photograph 


Letters   from   England 

Travel,"  which  was  very  popular  two  or 
three  years  since.  He  is  a  young  lawyer, 
Mr.  Kinglake,  the  most  modest,  unas- 
suming person  in  his  manners,  very  shy 
and  altogether  very  unlike  the  dashing, 
spirited  young  Englishman  I  figured  to 
myself,  whom  nothing  could  daunt  from 
the  Arab  even  to  the  plague,  which  he 
defied. 

To  L  P.  D. 

Dear  Uncle  and  Aunt  :  On  Thurs- 
day [the  25th]  we  were  invited  to  Sir 
John  Pakington's,  whose  wife  is  the 
Bishop  of  Rochester's  daughter,  but  were 
engaged  to  Mr.  Senior,  who  had  asked 
us  to  meet  the  Archbishop  of  Dublin, 
the  celebrated  Dr.  Whately.  He  had 
come  over  from  Ireland  to  make  a  speech 
in  the  House  of  Lords  upon  the  Irish 
Poor  Law.    He  is  full  of  learning  [and] 

simplicity,  and  with  most  genial  hearty 
91 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

manners.  Rogers  was  also  there  and 
said  more  fine  things  than  I  have  heard 
him  say  before  at  dinner,  as  he  is  now  so 
deaf  that  he  does  not  hear  general  con- 
versation, and  cannot  tell  where  to  send 
his  shaft,  which  is  always  pointed.  He 
retains  all  his  sarcasm  and  epigrammatic 
point,  but  he  shines  now  especially  at 
breakfast,  where  he  has  his  audience  to 
himself. 

We  went  from  Mr.  Senior's  to  Mr. 
Milman's,  but  nearly  all  the  guests  there 
were  departed  or  departing,  though  one 
or  two  returned  with  us  to  the  drawing- 
room  to  stay  the  few  minutes  we  did. 
Among  the  lingerers  we  found  Sir  Will- 
iam and  Lady  Duff  Gordon,  the  two 
Warburtons,  "Hochelaga"  and  "Cres- 
cent and  Cross,"  and  "Eothen."  Mrs. 
Milman  I  really  love,  and  we  see  much 
of  them. 

On  Saturday  was  the  dreaded  Draw- 
92 


Letters   from   England 

ing-Room,  on  which  occasion  I  was  to 
be  presented  to  the  Queen.  .  .  .  Mr. 
Bancroft  and  I  left  home  at  a  quarter 
past  one.  On  our  arrival  we  passed 
through  one  or  two  corridors,  lined  by 
attendants  with  battle-axes  and  pictu- 
resque costumes,  looking  very  much  like 
the  supernumeraries  on  the  stage,  and 
were  ushered  into  the  ante-room,  a 
large  and  splendid  room,  where  only  the 
Ministers  and  Privy  Councillors,  with 
their  families,  are  allowed  to  go  with 
the  Diplomatic  Corps.  Here  we  found 
Lady  Palmerston,  who  showed  me  a  list 
she  had  got  Sir  Edward  Cust,  the  master 
of  ceremonies,  to  make  out  of  the  order 
of  precedence  of  the  Diplomatic  Corps, 
and  when  the  turn  would  come  for  us 
who  were  to  be  newly  presented.  The 
room  soon  filled  up  and  it  was  like  a 
pleasant  party,  only  more  amusing,  as 
the  costumes  of  both  gentlemen  and  la- 

93 


Mrs.  George    Bancroft's 

dies  were  so  splendid.  I  got  a  seat  in 
the  window  with  Madam  Van  de  Weyer 
and  saw  the  Queen's  train  drive  up.  At 
the  end  of  this  room  are  two  doors:  at 
the  left  hand  everybody  enters  the  next 
apartment  where  the  Queen  and  her  suite 
stand,  and  after  going  round  the  circle, 
come  out  at  the  right-hand  door.  After 
those  who  are  privileged  to  go  first  into 
the  ante-room  leave  it,  the  general  circle 
pass  in,  and  they  also  go  in  and  out  the 
same  doors.  But  to  go  back.  The  left- 
hand  door  opens  and  Sir  Edward  Cust 
leads  in  the  Countess  Dietrichstein,  who 
is  the  eldest  Ambassadress,  as  the  Count- 
ess St.  Aulair  is  in  Paris.  As  she  enters 
she  drops  her  train  and  the  gentlemen 
ushers  open  it  out  like  a  peacock's  tail. 
Then  Madam  Van  de  Weyer,  who  comes 
next,  follows  close  upon  the  train  of  the 
former,  then  Baroness  Brunnow,  then 
Madam  Bunsen,  then   Madam  Lisboa, 

94 


Letters   from   England 

then  Lady  Palmerston,  who,  as  the  wife 
of  the  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs,  is 
to  introduce  the  Princess  Callimachi, 
Baroness  de  Beust,  and  myself.  She 
stations  herself  by  the  side  of  the  Queen 
and  names  us  as  we  pass.  The  Queen 
spoke  to  none  of  us,  but  gave  me  a  very 
gracious  smile,  and  when  Mr.  Bancroft 
came  by,  she  said:  "I  am  very  glad  to 
have  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  Mrs. 
Bancroft  to-day."  I  was  not  [at]  all 
frightened  and  gathered  up  my  train 
with  as  much  self-possession  as  if  I  were 
alone.  I  found  it  very  entertaining 
afterward  to  watch  the  reception  of 
the  others.  The  Diplomatic  Corps  re- 
main through  the  whole,  the  ladies 
standing  on  the  left  of  the  Queen  and 
the  gentlemen  in  the  centre,  but  all  others 
pass  out  immediately.  .  .  .  On  Sun- 
day evening  Mr.  Bancroft  set  off  for 
Paris  to  pass  the  Easter  recess  of  Parlia- 
95 


Mrs.  George    Bancroft's 

ment.  ...  I  got  a  very  interesting 
letter  yesterday  from  Mr.  Bancroft.  It 
seems  that  the  Countess  Circourt,  whose 
husband  has  reviewed  his  book  and  Pres- 
cott's,  is  a  most  charming  person,  and 
makes  her  house  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
and  attractive  in  Paris.  Since  he  left, 
a  note  came  from  Mr.  Hallam,  the  con- 
tents of  which  pleased  me  as  they  will 
you.  It  announced  that  Mr.  Bancroft 
was  chosen  an  Honorary  Member  of  the 
Society  of  Antiquaries,  of  which  Lord 
Mahon  is  president,  Hallam,  vice-presi- 
dent. Hallam  says  the  society  is  very 
old  and  that  he  is  the  first  citizen  of 
the  United  States  upon  whom  it  has  been 
conferred,  but  that  he  will  not  long  pos- 
sess it  exclusively,  as  his  "highly  distin- 
guished countryman,  Mr.  Prescott,  has 
also  been  proposed." 


96 


Letters  from   England 
To  W.  D.  B.  and  A.  B. 

Tuesday. 

My  dear  Sons:  ...  On  Mon- 
day morning  came  the  dear  Miss  Berrys, 
to  beg  me  to  come  that  evening  to  join 
their  circle.  They  have  always  the  best 
people  in  London  about  them,  young  as 
well  as  old. 

The  old  and  the  middle-aged  are  more 
attended  to  here  than  with  us,  where  the 
young  are  all  in  all.  As  Hayward  said 
to  me  the  other  evening,  "it  takes  time 
to  make  people,  like  cathedrals,"  and 
Mr.  Rogers  and  Miss  Berry  could  not 
have  been  what  they  are  now,  forty  years 
ago.  A  long  life  of  experience  in  the 
midst  constantly  of  the  highest  and  most 
cultivated  circles,  and  with  several  gen- 
erations of  distinguished  men  gives  what 
can  be  acquired  in  no  other  way.  Mr. 
Rogers  said  to  me  one  day:   "I  have 

97 


Mrs.   George    Bancroft's 

learnt  more  from  men  than  from  bonks, 
and  when  I  used  to  be  in  the  society  of 
Fox  and  other  great  men  of  that  period, 
and  they  would  sometimes  say  'I  have 
always  thought  so  and  so,'  then  I  have 
opened  my  ears  and  listened,  for  I  said  to 
myself,  now  I  shall  get  at  the  treasured 
results  of  the  experience  of  these  great 
men."  This  little  saying  of  Mr.  Rogers 
expresses  precisely  my  own  feelings  in 
the  society  of  the  venerable  and  distin- 
guished here.  With  us  society  is  left 
more  to  the  crudities  of  the  young  than 
in  England.  The  young  may  be  inter- 
esting and  promise  much,  but  they  are 
still  crude.  The  elements,  however  fine, 
are  not  yet  completely  assimilated  and 
brought  to  that  more  perfect  tone  which 
comes  later  in  life. 

Monday,  April  12th. 
.     .     .     On  Saturday  I  went  with  Sir 
William  and  Lady  Molesworth  to  their 
98 


SAMUEL    ROGERS 

From  the  drawing  by  G.  Richmond  (1848'!;   photograph  copyright  by 
Walker  &  Cockerell,  London 


Letters   from   England 

box  in  the  new  Covent  Garden  opera, 
which  has  been  opened  for  the  first  time 
this  week.  There  I  saw  Grisi  and  Al- 
boni  and  Tamburini  in  the  "Semira- 
mide."  It  was  a  new  world  of  delight 
to  me.  Grisi,  so  statuesque  and  so  grace- 
ful, delights  the  eye,  the  ear,  and  the 
soul.  She  is  sculpture,  poetry,  and  music 
at  the  same  time.  .  .  .  Mr.  Bancroft 
has  been  received  with  great  cordiality 
in  Paris.  He  has  been  three  times  in- 
vited to  the  Palace,  and  Guizot  and 
Mignet  give  him  access  to  all  that  he 
wants  in  the  archives,  and  he  passes  his 
evenings  with  all  the  eminent  men  and 
beautiful  women  of  Paris.  Guizot, 
Thiers,  Lamartine,  Cousin,  Salvandi, 
Thierry,  he  sees,  and  enjoys  all.  They 
take  him  to  the  salons,  too,  of  the  Fau- 
bourg St.  Germain,  among  the  old 
French  aristocracy,  and  to  innumerable 
receptions. 

99 


Mrs.   George   Bancroft's 

Wednesday. 
To-morrow  I  go  to  the  Drawing- 
Room  alone,  and  to  complete  the  cli- 
max, the  Queen  has  sent  us  an  invita- 
tion to  dine  at  the  Palace  to-morrow, 
and  I  must  go  alone  for  the  first  time. 
If  I  live  through  it,  I  will  tell  you  all 
about  it;  but  is  it  not  awkward  in  the 
extreme  ? 

Friday  Morning. 
At  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  I  drove 
to  the  Palace.  My  dress  was  my  cur- 
rant-colored or  grosseille  velvet  with  a 
wreath  of  white  Arum  lilies  woven  into 
a  kind  of  turban,  with  green  leaves  and 
bouquet  to  match,  on  the  bertha  of  Brus- 
sels lace.  I  was  received  by  a  servant, 
who  escorted  me  through  a  long  nar- 
row corridor  the  length  of  Winthrop 
Place  and  consigned  me  to  another 
who  escorted  me  in  his  turn,  through 
another    wider    corridor    to    the    foot 


Letters   from   England 

of  a  flight  of  stairs  which  I  ascended 
and  found  another  servant,  who  took 
my    cloak    and    showed    me    into    the 
grand    corridor    or    picture    gallery;    a 
noble  apartment  of  interminable  length ; 
and  surrounded  by  pictures  of  the  best 
masters.      General    Bowles,    the    Mas- 
ter  of  the   Household,    came   forward 
to  meet  me,  and  Lord  Byron,  who  is  one 
of   the    Lords    in    Waiting.      I    found 
Madam  Lisboa  already  arrived,  and  soon 
came  in  Lord  and  Lady  Palmerston,  the 
Duke  of  Norfolk,  the  Marquis  and  Mar- 
chioness of  Exeter,  Lord  and  Lady  Dal- 
housie,  Lord  Charles  Wellesley,  son  of 
the  Duke  of  Wellington,  Lady  Byron, 
and  Mr.  Hallam.     We  sat  and  talked 
as  at  any  other  place,  when  at  last  the 
Queen  was  announced.     The  gentlemen 
ranged  themselves  on  one  side,  and  we 
on  the  other,  and  the  Queen  and  Prince 
passed    through,    she   bowing,    and  we 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

profoundly  curtseying.  As  soon  as  she 
passed  the  Marquis  of  Exeter  came  over 
and  took  Madam  Lisboa,  and  Lord  Dal- 
housie  came  and  took  me.  The  Queen 
and  Prince  sat  in  the  middle  of  a  long 
table,  and  I  was  just  opposite  the  Prince, 
between  Lord  Exeter  and  Lord  Dalhou- 
sie,  who  is  the  son  of  the  former  Gov- 
ernor of  Nova  Scotia,  was  in  the  last 
ministry,  and  a  most  agreeable  person. 
I  talked  to  my  neighbors  as  at  any  other 
dinner,  but  the  Queen  spoke  to  no  one 
but  Prince  Albert,  with  a  word  or  two 
to  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  who  was  on 
her  right,  and  is  the  first  peer  of  the 
realm. 

The  dinner  was  rather  quickly  de- 
spatched, and  when  the  Queen  rose  we 
followed  her  back  into  the  corridor.  She 
walked  to  the  fire  and  stood  some  min- 
utes, and  then  advanced  to  me  and  en- 
quired about  Mr.  Bancroft,  his  visit  to 


Letters   from   England 

Paris,  if  he  had  been  there  before,  etc. 
I  expressed,  of  course,  the  regret  he 
would  feel  at  losing  the  honor  of  dining 
with  Her  Majesty,  etc.  She  then  had 
a  talk  with  Lady  Palmerston,  who  stood 
by  my  side,  then  with  all  the  other  la- 
dies in  succession,  until  at  last  Prince 
Albert  came  out,  soon  followed  by  the 
other  gentlemen.  The  Prince  then  spoke 
to  all  the  ladies,  as  she  had  done,  while 
she  went  in  succession  to  all  the  gentle- 
men guests.  This  took  some  time  and 
we  were  obliged  to  stand  all  the  while. 
At  last  the  Queen,  accompanied  by  her 
Lady  in  Waiting,  Lady  Mount  Edg- 
cumbe,  went  to  a  sofa  at  the  other  end 
of  the  corridor  in  front  of  which  was  a 
round  table  surrounded  by  arm-chairs. 
When  the  Queen  was  seated  Lady 
Mount  Edgcumbe  came  to  us  and  re- 
quested us  to  take  our  seats  round  the 

table.     This  was  a  little  prim,  for  I  did 
103 


Mrs.   George   Bancroft's 

not  know  exactly  how  much  I  might 
talk  to  others  in  the  immediate  presence 
of  the  Queen,  and  everybody  seemed  a 
little  constrained.  She  spoke  to  us  all, 
and  very  soon  such  of  the  gentlemen  as 
were  allowed  by  their  rank,  joined  us 
at  the  round  table.  Lord  Dalhousie 
came  again  to  my  side  and  I  had  as 
pleasant  a  conversation  with  him,  rather 
sotto  voce,  however,  as  I  could  have  had 
at  a  private  house.  At  half-past  ten  the 
Queen  rose  and  shook  hands  with  each 
lady;  we  curtsied  profoundly,  and  she 
and  the  Prince  departed.  We  then  bade 
each  other  good-night,  and  found  our 
carriages  as  soon  as  we  chose. 

To  W.  D.  B.  and  A.  B. 

London,  May  16,  1847. 

My  dear  Sons:  My  letters  by  this 
steamer  will  have  very  little  interest  for 
104 


Letters   from   England 

you,  as,  from  being  in  complete  retire- 
ment, I  have  no  new  things  to  relate 
to  you.  .  .  .  We  have  taken  advan- 
tage of  our  leisure  to  drive  a  little  into 
the  country,  and  on  Tuesday  I  had  a 
pleasure  of  the  highest  order  in  driving 
down  to  Esher  and  passing  a  quiet  day 
with  Lady  Byron,  the  widow  of  the  poet. 
She  is  an  intimate  friend  of  Miss  Mur- 
ray, who  has  long  wished  us  to  see  her 
and  desired  her  to  name  the  day  for  our 
visit. 

Esher  is  a  little  village  about  sixteen 
miles  from  London,  and  Lady  Byron  has 
selected  it  as  her  residence,  though  her 
estates  are  in  Leicestershire,  because  it 
is  near  Lord  and  Lady  Lovelace,  her  only 
child,  the  "Ada"  of  poetry.  We  went 
in  our  own  carriage,  taking  Miss  Mur- 
ray with  us,  and  as  the  country  is  now 
radiant  with  blossoms  and  glowing  green, 

the  drive  itself  was  very  agreeable.    We 

105 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

arrived  at  two  o'clock,  and  found  only 
Lady  Byron,  with  the  second  boy  of 
Lady  Lovelace  and  his  tutor.  Lady 
Byron  is  now  about  fifty-five,  and  with 
the  remains  of  an  attractive,  if  not  brill- 
iant beauty.  She  has  extremely  delicate 
features,  and  very  pale  and  finely  deli- 
cate skin.  A  tone  of  voice  and  manner 
of  the  most  trembling  refinement,  with 
a  culture  and  strong  intellect,  almost  mas- 
culine, but  which  betrays  itself  under  such 
sweet  and  gentle  and  unobtrusive  forms 
that  one  is  only  led  to  perceive  it  by 
slow  degrees.  She  is  the  most  modest 
and  unostentatious  person  one  can  well 
conceive.  She  lives  simply,  and  the 
chief  of  her  large  income  (you  know 
she  was  the  rich  Miss  Milbank)  she 
devotes  to  others.  After  lunch  she 
wished  me  to  see  a  little  of  the  coun- 
try round  Esher  and  ordered  her  ponies 
and  small  carriage  for  herself  and  me, 

106 


LADY    BYRON 

From  the  portrait  in  the  possession  of  Sir  J.  Tollemache  Sinclair,  Fiart 


Letters  from   England 

while  Mr.  Bancroft  and  Miss  Murray 
walked.  We  went  first  to  the  royal  seat, 
Claremont,  where  the  Princess  Charlotte 
lived  so  happily  with  Leopold,  and 
where  she  died.  Its  park  adjoins  Lady 
Byron's,  and  the  Queen  allows  her  a 
private  key  that  she  may  enjoy  its  ex- 
quisite grounds.  Here  we  left  the  pe- 
destrians, while  Lady  Byron  took  me  a 
more  extensive  drive,  as  she  wished  to 
show  me  some  of  the  heaths  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, which  are  covered  with  furze, 
now  one  mass  of  yellow  bloom. 

Every  object  is  seen  in  full  relief 
against  the  sky,  and  a  figure  on  horse- 
back is  peculiarly  striking.  I  am  always 
reminded  of  the  beginning  of  one  of 
James's  novels,  which  is  usually,  you 
know,  after  this  manner:  "It  was  toward 
the  close  of  a  dull  autumn  day  that  two 
horsemen  were  seen,"  etc.,  etc.  Lady 
Byron  took  me  to  the  estate  of  a  neigh- 
107 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

boring  gentleman,  to  show  me  a  fine  old 
tower  covered  with  ivy,  where  Wolsey 
took  refuge  from  his  persecutors,  with 
his  faithful  follower,  Cromwell. 

Upon  our  return  we  found  the  last  of 
the  old  harpers,  blind,  and  with  a  genu- 
ine old  Irish  harp,  and  after  hearing  his 
national  melodies  for  half  an  hour,  tak- 
ing a  cup  of  coffee,  and  enjoying  a  little 
more  of  Lady  Byron's  conversation,  we 
departed,  having  had  a  day  heaped  up 
with  the  richest  and  best  enjoyments.  I 
could  not  help  thinking,  as  I  was  walk- 
ing up  and  down  the  beautiful  paths  of 
Claremont  Park,  with  the  fresh  spring 
air  blowing  about  me,  the  primroses, 
daisies,  and  wild  bluebells  under  my  feet, 
and  Lady  Byron  at  my  side,  that  it  was 
more  like  a  page  out  of  a  poem  than  a 
reality. 

On  Sunday  night  any  Americans  who 
are  here  come  to  see  us.     .     .     .     Mr. 

ioS 


Letters   from   England 

Harding  brought  with  him  a  gentleman, 
whom  he  introduced  as  Mr.  Alison. 
Mr.  Bancroft  asked  him  if  he  were  re- 
lated to  Archdeacon  Alison,  who  wrote 
the  "Essay  on  Taste."  "I  am  his  son," 
said  he.  "Ah,  then,  you  are  the  brother 
of  the  historian?"  said  Mr.  Bancroft. 
"I  am  the  historian,"  was  the  reply. 
.  An  evening  visitor  is  a  thing 
unheard  of,  and  therefore  my  life  is 
very  lonely,  now  I  do  not  go  into  so- 
ciety. I  see  no  one  except  Sunday  even- 
ings, and,  occasionally,  a  friend  before 
dinner. 

To  W.  D.  B.  and  A.  B. 

London,  May  24,  [1847.] 

My  dear  Sons  :  ...  On  Friday 
we  both  went  to  see  the  Palace  of  Hamp- 
ton Court  with  my  dear,  good,  Miss 
Murray,   Mr.  Winthrop  and  son,  and 

Louise.     .     .     .     On    our    arrival,    we 
109 


Mrs.   George    Bancroft's 

found,  to  our  great  vexation,  that  Fri- 
day was  the  only  day  in  the  week  in 
which  visitors  were  not  admitted,  and 
that  we  must  content  ourselves  with  see- 
ing the  grounds  and  go  back  without  a 
glimpse  of  its  noble  galleries  of  pictures. 
Fortunately  for  us,  Miss  Murray  had 
several  friends  among  the  persons  to 
whom  the  Queen  has  assigned  apartments 
in  the  vast  edifice,  and  they  willingly 
yielded  their  approbation  of  our  admis- 
sion if  she  could  possibly  win  over  Mrs. 
Grundy,  the  housekeeper.  This  name 
sounded  rather  inauspicious,  but  Mr. 
Winthrop  suggested  that  there  might 
be  a  "Felix"  to  qualify  it,  and  so  in  this 
case  it  turned  out..  Mrs.  Grundy  assert- 
ed that  such  a  thing  had  never  been  done, 
that  it  was  a  very  dangerous  precedent, 
etc.,  but  in  the  end  the  weight  of  a  Maid 
of  Honor  and  a  Foreign  Minister  pre- 
vailed, and  we  saw  everything  to  much 
no 


Letters   from   England 

greater  advantage  than  if  we  had  150 
persons  following  on,  as  Mr.  Winthrop 
says  he  had  the  other  day  at  Windsor 
Castle.  ...  On  our  way  [home] 
we  met  Lady  Byron  with  her  pretty 
little  carriage  and  ponies.  She  alighted 
and  we  did  the  same,  and  had  quite  a 
pleasant  little  interview  in  the  dusty 
road. 

Sunday,  May  30th. 

Your  father  left  town  on  Monday. 
.  .  .  He  did  not  return  until  the  27th, 
the  morning  of  the  Queen's  Birthday 
Drawing-Room.  On  that  occasion  I 
went  dressed  in  white  mourning.  .  .  . 
It  was  a  petticoat  of  white  crape  flounced 
to  the  waist  with  the  edges  notched.  A 
train  of  white  glace  trimmed  with  a  ruche 
of  white  crape.  A  wreath  and  bouquet 
of  white  lilacs,  without  any  green,  as 
green  is  not  used  in  mourning.  The 
array  of  diamonds  on  this  occasion  was 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

magnificent  in  the  highest  degree,  and 
everybody  was  in  their  most  splendid 
array.  The  next  evening  there  was  a 
concert  at  the  Palace,  at  which  Jenny 
Lind,  Grisi,  Alboni,  Mario,  and  Tam- 
burini  sang.  I  went  dressed  in  [a]  deep 
black  dress  and  enjoyed  the  music  highly. 
Seats  were  placed  in  rows  in  the  concert- 
room  and  one  sat  quietly  as  if  in  church. 
At  the  end  of  the  first  part,  the  royal 
family  with  their  royal  guests,  the  Grand 
Duke  Constantine  of  Russia,  and  the 
Grand  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Saxe-Wei- 
mar  went  to  the  grand  dining-room  and 
supped  by  themselves,  with  their  suites, 
while  another  elegant  refreshment  table 
was  spread  in  another  apartment  for  the 
other  guests.  .  .  .  Jenny  Lind  a  little 
disappointed  me,  I  must  confess,  but  they 
tell  me  that  her  songs  were  not  adapted 
on  that  evening  to  the  display  of  her 
voice. 

112 


Letters   from   England 

On  Sunday  evening  your  father  dined 
with  Baron  Brunnow,  the  Russian  Min- 
ister, to  meet  the  Grand  Duke  Constan- 
tine.  It  so  happened  that  the  Grand 
Duke  and  Duchess  of  Saxe-Weimar  ap- 
pointed an  audience  to  Baron  and  Bar- 
oness Brunnow  at  seven,  and  they  had 
not  returned  at  half-past  seven,  when  the 
Grand  Duke  and  their  other  guests  ar- 
rived. The  Baroness  immediately  ad- 
vanced to  the  Grand  Duke  and  sunk  on 
her  knees  before  him,  asking  pardon  in 
Russian.  He  begged  her  to  rise,  but  she 
remained  in  an  attitude  of  deep  humili- 
ation, until  the  Grand  Duke  sunk  also 
on  his  knees  and  gently  raised  her,  and 
then  kissed  her  on  the  cheek,  a  privilege, 
you  know,  of  royalty. 

.  .  .  On  Monday  evening  we  both 
went  to  a  concert  at  Mr.  Hudson's,  the 
great  railway  "king,"  who  has  just  made 
an  immense  fortune  from  railway  stocks, 

"3 


Mrs.   George   Bancroft's 

and  is  now  desirous  to  get  into  society. 
These  things  are  managed  in  a  curious 
way  here.  A  nouveau  riche  gets  several 
ladies  of  fashion  to  patronize  their  en- 
tertainment and  invite  all  the  guests. 
Our  invitation  was  from  Lady  Parke, 
who  wrote  me  two  notes  about  it,  say- 
ing that  she  would  be  happy  to  meet  me 
at  Mrs.  Hudson's  splendid  mansion, 
where  would  be  the  best  music  and  so- 
ciety of  London ;  and,  true  enough,  there 
was  the  Duke  of  Wellington  and  all  the 
world.  Lady  Parke  stood  at  the  entrance 
of  the  splendid  suite  of  rooms  to  receive 
the  guests  and  introduce  them  to  their 
host  and  hostess.  On  Tuesday  morning 
I  got  a  note  from  Mr.  Eliot  Warburton 
(brother  of  "Hochelaga")  to  come  to 
his  room  at  two  o'clock  and  look  at  some 
drawings.  To  our  surprise  we  found 
quite  a  party  seated  at  lunch,  and  a  col- 
lection of  many  agreeable  persons  and 
114 


GEORGE    HUDSON,    THE    "  RAILWAY    KING  " 

From  the  engraving  after  F.  Grant 


Letters   from   England 

some  lions  and  lionesses.  There  was 
Lord  Ross,  the  great  astronomer;  Bar- 
oness Rothschild,  a  lovely  Jewess;  Miss 
Strickland,  the  authoress  of  the  "Queens 
of  England" ;  "Eothen,"  and  many  more. 
Mr.  Polk,  Charge  at  Naples,  and  brother 
of  the  President,  dined  with  us,  and  Miss 
Murray,  and  in  the  evening  came  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McLean,  he  a  son  of  Judge 
McLean,  of  Ohio. 

June  17th. 

On  Friday  evening  we  went  to  the 
Queen's  Ball,  and  for  the  first  time  saw 
Her  Majesty  dance,  which  she  does  very 
well,  and  so  does  the  Duchess  of  Suther- 
land, grandmother  though  she  be. 

On  Monday  evening  we  went  to  a  con- 
cert given  to  the  Queen  by  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  at  Apsley  House.  This  was 
an  occasion  not  to  be  forgotten,  but  I 
cannot  describe  it.  On  Tuesday  I  went 
for  the  first  time  to  hear  a  debate  upon 

"5 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

the  Portugal  interference  in  the  House 
of  Lords.  It  brought  out  all  the  lead- 
ers, and  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  hear  a 
most  powerful  speech  from  Lord  Stan- 
ley, one  from  Lord  Lansdowne  in  de- 
fence of  the  Ministry  and  one  from  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  who,  on  this  occa- 
sion, sided  with  the  Ministers.  On 
Wednesday  was  the  great  fete  given  by 
the  Duchess  of  Sutherland  to  the  Queen. 
It  was  like  a  chapter  of  a  fairy  tale. 
Persons  from  all  the  courts  of  Europe 
who  were  there  told  us  that  nowhere  in 
Europe  was  there  anything  as  fine  as  the 
hall  and  grand  staircase  where  the  Duch- 
ess received  her  guests.  It  exceeded  my 
utmost  conceptions  of  magnificence  and 
beauty.  The  vast  size  of  the  apartment, 
the  vaulted  ceilings,  the  arabesque  orna- 
ments, the  fine  pictures,  the  profusion  of 
flowers,  the  music,  the  flourish  of  trump- 
ets, as  the  Queen  passed  backward  and 
n6 


Letters   from   England 

forward,  the  superb  dresses  and  dia- 
monds of  the  women,  the  parti-colored 
full  dress  of  the  gentlemen  all  contrib- 
uted to  make  up  a  scene  not  to  be  for- 
gotten. The  Queen's  Ball  was  not  to 
be  compared  to  it,  so  much  more  effect- 
ive is  Stafford  House  than  Buckingham 
Palace.  .  .  .  We  were  fortunate  to 
be  present  there,  for  Stafford  House  is 
not  opened  in  this  way  but  once  in  a 
year  or  two,  and  the  Duke's  health  is 
now  so  very  uncertain,  that  it  may  be 
many  years  before  it  happens  again.  He 
was  not  present  the  other  evening. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  I.  P.  D. 
My  dear  Uncle  and  Aunt:  On 

London, June  20,  1847. 
the  19th,  Saturday,  we  breakfasted  with 
Lady  Byron  and  my  friend,  Miss  Mur- 
ray, at  Mr.  Rogers'.  He  and  Lady 
Byron  had  not  met  for  many,  many 
117 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

years,  and  their  renewal  of  old  friend- 
ship was  very  interesting  to  witness.  Mr. 
Rogers  told  me  that  he  first  introduced 
her  to  Lord  Byron.  After  breakfast  he 
had  been  repeating  some  lines  of  poetry 
which  he  thought  fine,  when  he  suddenly 
exclaimed:  "But  there  is  a  bit  of  Amer- 
ican prose,  which,  I  think,  has  more 
poetry  in  it  than  almost  any  modern 
verse."  He  then  repeated,  I  should 
think,  more  than  a  page  from  Dana's 
"Two  Years  Before  the  Mast,"  describ- 
ing the  falling  overboard  of  one  of  the 
crew,  and  the  effect  it  produced,  not  only 
at  the  moment,  but  for  some  time  after- 
ward. I  wondered  at  his  memory,  which 
enabled  him  to  recite  so  beautifully  a 
long  prose  passage,  so  much  more  diffi- 
cult than  verse.  Several  of  those  present 
with  whom  the  book  was  a  favorite,  were 
so  glad  to  hear  from  me  that  it  was  as 
true  as  interesting,  for  they  had  regard- 

118 


Letters   from   England 

ed  it  as  partly  a  work  of  imagination. 
Lady  Byron  had  told  Mr.  Rogers  when 
she  came  in  that  Lady  Lovelace,  her 
daughter  (Ada)  wished  also  to  pay  him 
a  visit,  and  would  come  after  breakfast 
to  join  us  for  half  an  hour.  She  also 
had  not  seen  Rogers,  I  believe,  ever. 
Lady  Lovelace  joined  us  soon  after 
breakfast,  and  as  we  were  speaking  of 
the  enchantment  of  Stafford  House  on 
Wednesday  evening,  Mr.  Rogers  pro- 
posed to  go  over  it  and  see  its  fine  pict- 
ures by  daylight.  He  immediately  went 
himself  by  a  short  back  passage  through 
the  park  to  ask  permission  and  returned 
with  all  the  eagerness  and  gallantry  of 
a  young  man  to  say  that  he  had  obtained 
it.  We  had  thus  an  opportunity  of  see- 
ing, in  the  most  leisurely  way  and  in  the 
most  delightful  society,  the  fine  pictures 
and  noble  apartments  of  Stafford  House 
again. 

119 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

.  .  .  On  Tuesday  Mr.  Hallam 
took  us  to  the  British  Museum,  and 
being  a  director,  he  could  enter  on  a 
private  day,  when  we  were  not  annoyed 
by  a  crowd,  and,  moreover,  we  had  the 
advantage  of  the  best  interpreters  and 
guides.  We  did  not  even  enter  the  li- 
brary, which  requires  a  day  by  itself, 
but  confined  ourselves  to  the  Antiquity 
rooms.  ...  As  I  entered  the  room 
devoted  to  the  Elgin  marbles,  the  works 
of  the  "divine  Phidias,"  I  stepped  with 
awe,  as  if  entering  a  temple,  and  the 
Secretary,  who  was  by  my  side,  observ- 
ing it,  told  me  that  the  Grand  Duke 
Constantine,  when  he  came  a  few  days 
before,  made,  as  he  entered,  a  most  pro- 
found and  reverential  bow.  This  was 
one  of  my  most  delightful  mornings,  and 
I  left  the  Antiquities  with  a  stronger  de- 
sire to  see  them  again  than  before  I  had 
seen  them  at  all. 


Letters  from   England 

Sunday,  June  27th. 
.  .  .  I  went  on  Wednesday  to  dine 
at  Lord  Monteagle's  to  meet  Father 
Mathew,  and  the  Archbishop  of  Dublin 
(Dr.  Whately)  also  dined  there.  Father 
Mathew  spoke  with  great  interest  of 
America  and  of  American  liberality,  and 
is  very  anxious  to  go  to  our  country.  He 
saw  Mr.  Forbes  at  Cork  and  spoke  of 
him  with  great  regard.  .  .  .  On 
[Saturday]  Mr.  Bancroft  went  to  the 
Palace  to  see  the  King  of  the  Belgians, 
with  the  rest  of  the  Diplomatic  Corps. 
After  his  return  we  went  to  Westminster 
Hall  to  see  the  prize  pictures,  as  Lord 
Lansdowne  had  sent  us  tickets  for  the 
private  view.  The  Commission  of  Fine 
Arts  have  offered  prizes  for  the  best  his- 
torical pictures  that  may  serve  to  adorn 
the  new  Houses  of  Parliament,  and  the 
pictures  of  this  collection  were  all  paint- 
ed with  that  view.     One  of  those  which 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

have  received  a  prize  is  John  Robinson 
bestowing  his  farewell  blessing  upon  the 
Pilgrims  at  Leyden,  which  is  very  pleas- 
ing. It  was  to  me  like  a  friend  in  a 
strange  country,  and  I  lingered  over  it 
the  longest. 

July  2d. 

Wednesday  [evening]  we  went  to 
Lady  Duff  Gordon's,  who  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Mrs.  Austin,  where  was  a  most 
agreeable  party,  and  among  others,  An- 
dersen, the  Danish  poet-author  of  the 
"Improvisatore."  He  has  a  most  strik- 
ing poetical  physiognomy,  but  as  he 
talked  only  German  or  bad  French,  I 
left  him  to  Mr.  Bancroft  in  the  con- 
versation way. 

The  next  morning  before  nine  o'clock 
we  were  told  that  Mr.  Rogers,  the  poet, 
was  downstairs.  I  could  not  imagine 
what  had  brought  him  out  so  early,  but 
found  that  Moore,  the  poet,  had  come 


Letters  from   England 

to  town  and  would  stay  but  a  day,  and 
we  must  go  that  very  morning  and  break- 
fast with  him  at  ten  o'clock.  We  went 
and  found  a  delightful  circle.  I  sat  be- 
tween Moore  and  Rogers,  who  was  in 
his  very  best  humor.  Moore  is  but  a 
wreck,  but  a  most  interesting  one. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  I.  P.  D. 

Nuneham  Park,  July  27,  1847. 

My  dear  Uncle  and  Aunt  :  .  .  . 
I  must  go  back  to  the  day  when  my  last 
letters  were  despatched,  as  my  life  since 
has  been  full  of  interest.  On  Monday 
evening,  the  19th,  we  went  to  the  French 
play,  to  see  Rachel  in  "Phedre."  She 
far  surpassed  my  imagination  in  the 
expression  of  all  the  powerful  passions. 
.  .  .  On  Tuesday  Mr.  Bancroft  went 
down  to  hear  Lord  John  make  a  speech 
to  his  constituents  in  the  city,  while  I 
went  to  see  Miss  Burdett-Coutts  lay  the 
123 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

corner-stone  of  the  church  which  "the 
Bishop  of  London  has  permitted  her  to 
build,"  to  use  her  own  expression  in  her 
note  to  me.  In  the  evening  we  dined 
there  with  many  of  the  clergy,  and  Lord 
Brougham,  Lord  Dundonald,  etc.  I 
went  down  with  the  Dean  of  Westmin- 
ster, who  was  very  agreeable  and  in- 
structive. He  and  Dr.  Whately  have 
the  simplicity  of  children,  with  an  im- 
mense deal  of  knowledge,  which  they 
impart  in  the  most  pleasant  way.  Sat- 
urday, the  24th,  we  were  to  leave  town 
for  our  first  country  excursion.  We 
were  invited  by  Dr.  Hawtrey,  the 
Head  Master  of  Eton,  to  be  present  at 
the  ceremonies  accompanying  the  annual 
election  of  such  boys  on  the  Founda- 
tion as  are  selected  to  go  up  to  King's 
College,  Cambridge,  where  they  are  also 
placed  on  a  Foundation.    From  reading 

Dr.  Arnold's  life  you  will  have  learned 
124 


Letters  from   England 

that  the  head  master  of  one  of  these 
very  great  schools  is  no  unimportant 
personage.  Dr.  Hawtrey  has  an  in- 
come of  six  or  seven  thousand  pounds. 
He  is  unmarried,  but  has  two  single  sis- 
ters who  live  with  him,  and  his  establish- 
ment in  one  of  the  old  college  houses 
is  full  of  elegance  and  comfort.  We 
took  an  open  travelling  carriage  with 
imperials,  and  drove  down  to  Eton  with 
our  own  horses,  arriving  about  one 
o'clock.  At  two,  precisely,  the  Provost 
of  King's  College,  Cambridge,  was  to 
arrive,  and  to  be  received  under  the  old 
gateway  of  the  cloister  by  the  Captain 
of  the  school  with  a  Latin  speech.  Af- 
ter dinner  there  is  a  regatta  among  the 
boys,  which  is  one  of  the  characteristic 
and  pleasing  old  customs.  All  the  fash- 
ionables of  London  who  have  sons  at 
Eton  come  down  to  witness  their  happi- 
ness, and  the  river  bank  is  full  of  gayety. 

125 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

The  evening  finished  with  the  most 
beautiful  fireworks  I  ever  saw,  which 
lighted  up  the  Castle  behind  and  were 
reflected  in  the  Thames  below,  while  the 
glancing  oars  of  the  young  boatmen,  and 
the  music  of  their  band  with  a  merry 
chime  of  bells  from  St.  George's  Chapel, 
above,  all  combined  to  give  gayety  and 
interest  to  the  scene.  The  next  morn- 
ing (Sunday),  after  an  agreeable  break- 
fast in  the  long,  low-walled  breakfast- 
room,  which  opens  upon  the  flower-gar- 
den, we  went  to  Windsor  to  worship  in 
St.  George's  Chapel.  The  Queen's  stall 
is  rather  larger  than  the  others,  and  one 
is  left  vacant  for  the  Prince  of  Wales. 

London,  July  29th. 
And  now  with  a  new  sheet  I  must  be- 
gin my  account  of  Nuneham.     .     . 
The  Archbishop  of  York  is  the  second 
son  of  Lord  Vernon,  but  his  uncle,  Earl 
126 


Letters   from   England 

Harcourt,  dying  without  children,  left 
him  all  his  estate,  upon  which  he  took 
the  name  of  Harcourt.  We  arrived 
about  four  o'clock.  .  .  .  The  din- 
ner was  at  half-past  seven,  and  when  I 
went  down  I  found  the  Duchess  of  Suth- 
erland, Lady  Caroline  Leveson-Gower, 
Lord  Kildare,  and  several  of  the  sons 
and  daughters  of  the  Archbishop.  The 
dinner  and  evening  passed  off  very  agree- 
ably. The  Duchess  is  a  most  high-bred 
person,  and  thoroughly  courteous.  As 
we  were  going  in  or  out  of  a  room  in- 
stead of  preceding  me,  which  was  her 
right,  she  always  made  me  take  her  arm, 
which  was  a  delicate  way  of  getting  over 
her  precedence.  ...  At  half-past 
nine  the  [next  morning]  we  met  in  the 
drawing-room,  when  the  Archbishop  led 
the  way  down  to  prayers.  This  was  a 
beautiful  scene,  for  he  is  now  ninety,  and 

to  hear  him  read  the  prayers  with  a  firm, 
127 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

clear  voice,  while  his  family  and  depend- 
ents knelt  about  him  was  a  pleasure  never 
to  be  forgotten.  ...  At  five  I  was 
to  drive  round  the  park  with  the  Arch- 
bishop himself  in  his  open  carriage.  This 
drive  was  most  charming.  He  explained 
everything,  told  me  when  such  trees 
would  be  felled,  and  when  certain  tracts 
of  underwood  would  be  fit  for  cutting, 
how  old  the  different-sized  deer  were — 
in  short,  the  whole  economy  of  an  Eng- 
lish park.  Every  pretty  point  of  view, 
too,  he  made  me  see,  and  was  as  active 
and  wide-awake  as  if  he  were  thirty, 
rather  than  ninety.  .  .  .  The  next 
morning,  after  prayers  and  breakfast,  I 
took  my  leave. 

To  A.  H. 

Bishop's  Palace,  Norwich,  August  ist. 

My    Dear   Ann:   How    I    wish    I 
could  transport  you  to  the  spot  where 
128 


Letters  from   England 

I  am  writing,  but  if  I  could  summon  it 
before  your  actual  vision  you  would  take 
it  for  a  dream  or  a  romance,  so  different 
is  everything  within  the  walls  which  en- 
close the  precincts  of  an  English  Cathe- 
dral from  anything  we  can  conceive  on 
our  side  of  the  water.  .  .  .  Some  of 
the  learned  people  and  noblemen  have 
formed  an  Archaeological  Society  for 
the  study  and  preservation  [of]  the  in- 
teresting architectural  antiquities  of  the 
kingdom,  and  [it]  is  upon  the  occasion 
of  the  annual  meeting  of  this  society  for 
a  week  at  Norwich  that  the  Bishop  has 
invited  us  to  stay  a  few  days  at  the  pal- 
ace and  join  them  in  their  agreeable 
antiquarian  excursions.  We  arrived  on 
Friday  at  five  o'clock  after  a  long  dull 
journey  of  five  hours  on  the  railway. 
.  .  .  Staying  in  the  house  are  our 
friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Milman,  Lord 
Northampton  and  his  son,  Lord  Alwyne 
129 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

Compton,  and  the  Bishop's  family,  con- 
sisting of  Mrs.  Stanley,  and  of  two  Miss 
Stanleys,  agreeable  and  highly  cultivated 
girls,  and  Mr.  Arthur  Stanley,  the  writer 
of  Dr.  Arnold's  Biography. 

After  dinner  company  soon  arrived. 
Among  them  were  Mrs.  Opie,  who  re- 
sides here.  She  is  a  pleasing,  lively  old 
lady,  in  full  Quaker  dress.  The  most 
curious  feature  of  the  evening  was  a 
visit  which  the  company  paid  to  the  cel- 
lar and  kitchen,  which  were  lighted  up 
for  the  occasion.  They  were  built  by 
the  old  Norman  bishops  of  the  twelfth 
century,  and  had  vaulted  stone  roofs  as 
beautifully  carved  and  ribbed  as  a  church. 

The  next  day,  Saturday,  the  antiqua- 
rians made  a  long  excursion  to  hunt 
up  some  ruins,  while  the  Milmans,  Mr. 
Stanley,  and  ourselves,  went  to  visit  the 
place  of  Lady  Suffield,  about  twelve  miles 
distant,  and  which  is  the  most  perfect 
130 


LORD    PALMERSTON 

From  the  portrait  by  Partridge ;  photograph  copyright  by  Walker  &  Cockerel!, 
London 


Letters   from   England 

specimen  of  the  Elizabethan  style.  Lady 
Suffield  herself  is  as  Elizabethan  as  her 
establishment;  she  is  of  one  [of]  the 
oldest  high  Tory  families  and  so  opposed 
to  innovations  of  all  sorts  that  though 
her  letters,  which  used  to  arrive  at 
two,  before  the  opening  of  the  rail- 
way two  years  ago,  now  arrive  at 
seven  in  the  morning,  they  are  never  al- 
lowed to  be  brought  till  the  old  hour. 
.  .  .  This  morning  Mr.  Bancroft  and 
the  rest  are  gone  on  an  excursion  to  Yar- 
mouth to  see  some  ruins,  while  I  remain 
here  to  witness  the  chairing  of  two  new 
members  of  Parliament,  who  have  just 
been  elected,  of  whom  Lord  Douro,  son 
of  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  is  one. 

To  L  P.  D. 

Audley  End,  October  14,  1847. 

Dear  Uncle  :  We  are  staying  for  a 
few  days  at  Lord  Braybrooke's  place, 
131 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

one  of  the  most  magnificent  in  England; 
but  before  I  say  a  word  about  it  I  must 
tell  you  of  A.'s  safe  arrival  and  how 
happy  I  have  been  made  by  having  him 
with  me  again.  .  .  .  On  Saturday 
the  9th  we  had  the  honor  of  dining  with 
the  Lord  Mayor  to  meet  the  Duke  of 
Cambridge,  a  fete  so  unlike  anything 
else  and  accompanied  by  so  many  old  and 
peculiar  customs  that  I  must  describe  it 
to  you  at  full  length.  The  Mansion 
House  is  in  the  heart  of  the  City,  and 
is  very  magnificent  and  spacious,  the 
Egyptian  Hall,  as  the  dining-room  is 
called,  being  one  of  the  noblest  apart- 
ments I  have  seen.  The  guests  were 
about  250  in  number  and  were  received 
by  the  Lady  Mayoress  sitting.  When 
dinner  was  announced,  the  Lord  Mayor 
went  out  first,  preceded  by  the  sword- 
bearer  and  mace-bearer  and  all  the  in- 
signia of  office.  Then  came  the  Duke 
132 


Letters  from   England 

of  Cambridge  and  the  Lady  Mayoress, 
then  Mr.  Bancroft  and  I  together,  which 
is  the  custom  at  these  great  civic  feasts. 
We  marched  through  the  long  gallery 
by  the  music  of  the  band  to  the  Egyptian 
Hall,  where  two  raised  seats  like  thrones 
were  provided  for  the  Lord  Mayor  and 
Mayoress  at  the  head  of  the  hall.  On 
the  right  hand  of  the  Lord  Mayor  sat 
the  Duke  of  Cambridge  in  a  common 
chair,  for  royalty  yields  entirely  to  the 
Mayor,  on  his  own  ground.  On  the 
right  of  the  Duke  of  Cambridge  sat  the 
Mayoress-elect  (for  the  present  digni- 
taries go  out  of  office  on  the  ist  of 
November).  On  the  left  hand  of  the 
present  Lady  Mayoress  sat  the  Lord 
Mayor-elect,  then  I  came  with  my  hus- 
band on  my  left  hand  in  very  conjugal 
style. 

There  were  three  tables   the  whole 
length  of  the  hall,  and  that  at  which  we 
133 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

were  placed  went  across  at  the  head. 
When  we  are  placed,  the  herald  stands 
behind  the  Lord  Mayor  and  cries:  "My 
Lords,  Ladies,  and  Gentlemen,  pray  si- 
lence, for  grace."  Then  the  chaplain  in 
his  gown,  goes  behind  the  Lord  Mayor 
and  says  grace.  After  the  second  course 
two  large  gold  cups,  nearly  two  feet  high, 
are  placed  before  the  Mayor  and  Mayor- 
ess. The  herald  then  cries  with  a  loud 
voice:  "His  Royal  Highness  the  Duke 
of  Cambridge,  the  American  Minister, 
the  Lord  Chief  Baron,"  etc.,  etc.  (enu- 
merating about  a  dozen  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished guests),  "and  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen all,  the  Lord  Mayor  and  Lady 
Mayoress  do  bid  you  most  heartily  wel- 
come and  invite  you  to  drink  in  a  loving 
cup."  Whereupon  the  Mayor  and  May- 
oress rise  and  each  turn  to  their  next 
neighbor,  who  take  off  the  cover  while 
they  drink.  After  my  right-hand  neigh- 
134 


Letters   from   England 

bor,  the  Lord  Mayor-elect,  had  put  on 
the  cover,  he  turns  to  me  and  says, 
"Please  take  off  the  cover,"  which  I  do 
and  hold  it  while  he  drinks;  then  I  re- 
place the  cover  and  turn  round  to  Mr. 
Bancroft,  who  rises  and  performs  the 
same  office  for  me  while  I  drink;  then 
he  turns  to  his  next  neighbor,  who  takes 
off  the  cover  for  him.  I  have  not  felt 
so  solemn  since  I  stood  up  to  be  married 
as  when  Mr.  Bancroft  and  I  were  stand- 
ing up  alone  together,  the  rest  of  the 
company  looking  on,  I  with  this  great 
heavy  gold  cup  in  my  hand,  so  heavy 
that  I  could  scarcely  lift  it  to  my  mouth 
with  both  hands,  and  he  with  the  cover 
before  me,  with  rather  a  mischievous  ex- 
pression in  his  face.  Then  came  two 
immense  gold  platters  filled  with  rose 
water,  which  were  also  passed  round. 
These  gold  vessels  were  only  used  by  the 
persons  at  the  head  table;  the  other 
135 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

guests  were  served  with  silver  cups. 
When  the  dessert  and  the  wine  are  placed 
on  the  table,  the  herald  says,  "My  Lords, 
Ladies,  and  Gentlemen,  please  to  charge 
your  glasses."  After  we  duly  charge 
our  glasses  the  herald  cries:  "Lords, 
Ladies,  and  Gentlemen,  pray  silence  for 
the  Lord  Mayor."  He  then  rises  and 
proposes  the  first  toast,  which  is,  of 
course,  always  "The  Queen."  After  a 
time  came  the  "American  Minister," 
who  was  obliged  to  rise  up  at  my  elbow 
and  respond.  We  got  home  just  after 
twelve. 

And  now  let  me  try  to  give  you  some 
faint  idea  of  Audley  End,  which  is  by 
far  the  most  magnificent  house  I  have 
seen  yet.  It  was  built  by  the  Earl  of 
Suffolk,  son  of  that  Duke  of  Norfolk 
who  was  beheaded  in  Elizabeth's  reign 
for  high  treason,  upon  the  site  of  an 
abbey,  the  lands  of  which  had  been 
136 


LADY    PALMERSTON 

From  a  painting,  by  permission  of  Sir  Francis  Gore 


Letters   from   England 

granted  by  the  crown  to  that  powerful 
family.  One  of  the  Earls  of  Suffolk 
dying  without  sons,  the  Earldom  passed 
into  another  branch  and  the  Barony  and 
estate  of  Howard  de  Walden  came  into 
the  female  line.  In  course  of  time,  a 
Lord  Howard  de  Walden  dying  without 
a  son,  his  title  also  passed  into  another 
family,  but  his  estate  went  to  his  nephew, 
Lord  Braybrooke,  the  father  of  the  pres- 
ent Lord.  Lady  Braybrooke  is  the 
daughter  of  the  Marquis  of  Cornwallis, 
and  granddaughter  of  our  American 
Lord  Cornwallis. 

The  house  is  of  the  Elizabethan  period 
and  is  one  of  the  best  preserved  speci- 
mens of  that  style,  but  of  its  vast  extent 
and  magnificence  I  can  give  you  no  idea. 
We  arrived  about  five  o'clock,  and  were 
ushered  through  an  immense  hall  of 
carved  oak  hung  with  banners  up  a  fine 
staircase  to  the  grand  saloon,  where  we 
137 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

were  received  by  the  host  and  hostess. 
Now  of  this  grand  saloon  I  must  try 
to  give  you  a  conception.  It  was,  I 
should  think,  from  seventy-five  to  one 
hundred  feet  in  length.  The  ceiling 
overhead  was  very  rich  with  hanging 
corbels,  like  stalactites,  and  the  entire 
walls  were  panelled,  with  a  full-length 
family  portrait  in  each  panel,  which 
was  arched  at  the  top,  so  that  the  whole 
wall  was  composed  of  these  round- 
topped  pictures  with  rich  gilding  between. 
Notwithstanding  its  vast  size,  the  sofas 
and  tables  were  so  disposed  all  over  the 
apartment  as  to  give  it  the  most  friend- 
ly, warm,  and  social  aspect. 

Lady  Braybrooke  herself  ushered  me 
to  my  apartments,  which  were  the  state 
rooms.  First  came  Mr.  Bancroft's 
dressing-room,  where  was  a  blazing  fire. 
Then  came  the  bedroom,  with  the  state 
bed  of  blue  and  gold,  covered  with  em- 
138 


Letters  from   England 

broidery,  and  with  the  arms  and  coronet 
of  Howard  de  Walden.  The  walls  were 
hung  with  crimson  and  white  damask, 
and  the  sofas  and  chairs  also,  and  it  was 
surrounded  by  pictures,  among  others  a 
full  length  of  Queen  Charlotte,  just  op- 
posite the  foot  of  the  bed,  always  saluted 
me  every  morning  when  I  awoke,  with 
her  fan,  her  hoop,  and  her  deep  ruffles. 
My  dressing-room,  which  was  on  the 
opposite  side  from  Mr.  Bancroft's,  was 
a  perfect  gem.  It  was  painted  by  the 
famous  Rebecco  who  came  over  from 
Italy  to  ornament  so  many  of  the  great 
English  houses  at  one  time.  The  whole 
ceiling  and  walls  were  covered  with 
beautiful  designs  and  with  gilding,  and 
a  beautiful  recess  for  a  couch  was  sup- 
ported by  fluted  gilded  columns;  the 
architraves  and  mouldings  of  the  doors 
were  gilt,  and  the  panels  of  the  doors 
were  filled  with  Rebecco's  beautiful  de- 
139 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

signs.  The  chairs  were  of  light  blue  em- 
broidered with  thick,  heavy  gold,  and  all 
this  bearing  the  stamp  of  antiquity  was 
a  thousand  times  more  interesting  than 
mere  modern  splendor.  In  the  centre 
of  the  room  was  a  toilet  of  white  mus- 
lin (universal  here),  and  on  it  a  gilt 
dressing-glass,  which  gave  a  pretty  effect 
to  the  whole. 

I  sat  at  dinner  between  Lord  Bray- 
brooke  and  Sir  John  Boileau,  and 
found  them  both  very  agreeable.  The 
dining-room  is  as  magnificent  as  the 
other  apartments.  The  ceiling  is  in 
the  Elizabethan  style,  covered  with  fig- 
ures, and  the  walls  white  and  gold  pan- 
elling hung  with  full-length  family  por- 
traits not  set  into  the  wall  like  the 
saloon,  but  in  frames.  In  the  evening 
the  young  people  had  a  round  game  at 
cards  and  the  elder  ones  seemed  to  pre- 
fer talking  to  a  game  at  whist.  The 
140 


Letters   from   England 

ladies  brought  down  their  embroidery 
or  netting.  At  eleven  a  tray  with  wine 
and  water  is  brought  in  and  a  quantity 
of  bed  candlesticks,  and  everybody  re- 
tires when  they  like.  The  next  morn- 
ing the  guests  assembled  at  half-past  nine 
in  the  great  gallery  which  leads  to  the 
chapel  to  go  in  together  to  prayers.  The 
chapel  is  really  a  beautiful  little  piece 
of  architecture,  with  a  vaulted  roof  and 
windows  of  painted  glass.  On  one  side 
is  the  original  cast  of  the  large  monu- 
ment to  Lord  Cornwallis  (our  lord) 
which  is  in  Westminster  Abbey.  After 
breakfast  we  passed  a  couple  of  hours 
in  going  all  over  the  house,  which  is  in 
perfect  keeping  in  every  part. 

We  returned  to  the  library,  a  room  as 
splendid  as  the  saloon,  only  instead  of 
pictured  panels  it  was  surrounded  by 
books  in  beautiful  gilt  bindings.    In  the 

immense  bay  window  was  a  large  Louis 
141 


Mrs.  George    Bancroft's 

Quatorze  table,  round  which  the  ladies 
all  placed  themselves  at  their  embroid- 
ery, though  I  preferred  looking  over 
curious  illuminated  missals,  etc.,  etc. 

The  next  day  was  the  meeting  of  the 
County  Agricultural  Society.  ...  At 
the  hour  appointed  we  all  repaired  to 
the  ground  where  the  prizes  were  to  be 
given  out.  .  .  .  Lord  Braybrooke 
made  first  a  most  paternal  and  interest- 
ing address,  which  showed  me  in  the  most 
favorable  view  the  relation  between  the 
noble  and  the  lower  class  in  England,  a 
relation  which  must  depend  much  on  the 
personal  character  of  the  lord  of  the 
manor.  .  .  .  First  came  prizes  to 
ploughmen,  then  the  plough  boys,  then 
the  shepherds,  then  to  such  peasants  as 
had  reared  many  children  without  aid, 
then  to  women  who  had  been  many  years 
in  the  same  farmer's  service,  etc.,  etc.  A 
clock  was  awarded  to  a  poor  man  and 
142 


Letters   from   England 

his  wife  who  had  reared  six  children 
and  buried  seven  without  aid  from  the 
parish.  The  rapture  with  which  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Flitton  and  the  whole  six  chil- 
dren gazed  on  this  clock,  an  immense 
treasure  for  a  peasant's  cottage,  was  both 
comic  and  affecting.  .  .  .  The  next 
morning  we  made  our  adieus  to  our  kind 
host  and  hostess,  and  set  off  for  London, 
accompanied  by  Sir  John  Tyrrell,  Major 
Beresford,  and  young  Mr.  Boileau. 

To  W.  D.  B. 

London,  November  4,  1847. 

Dear  W. :  .  .  .  Mr.  Bancroft  and 
I  dined  on  Friday,  the  2 2d,  with  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hawes,  under-Secretary  of 
State,  to  meet  Mr.  Brooke,  the  Rajah 
of  Sarawak,  who  is  a  great  lion  in  Lon- 
don just  now.  He  is  an  English  gentle- 
man of  large  fortune  who  has  done  much 

143 


Mrs.   George   Bancroft's 

to  Christianize  Borneo,  and  to  open  its 
trade  to  the  English.  I  sat  between  him 
and  Mr.  Ward,  formerly  Minister  to 
Mexico  before  Mr.  Pakenham.  He 
wrote  a  very  nice  book  on  Mexico,  and 
is  an  agreeable  and  intelligent  person. 
.  .  .  On  Wednesday  A.  and  I  went 
together  to  the  National  Gallery,  and 
just  as  we  were  setting  out  Mr.  Butler 
of  New  York  came  in  and  I  invited  him 
to  join  us.  .  .  .  While  we  were 
seated  before  a  charming  Claude  who 
should  come  in  but  Mr.  R.  W.  Emer- 
son and  we  had  quite  a  joyful  greeting. 
Just  then  came  in  Mr.  Rogers  with  two 
ladies,  one  on  each  arm.  He  renewed 
his  request  that  I  would  bring  my  son 
to  breakfast  with  him,  and  appointed 
Friday  morning,  and  then  added  if  those 
gentlemen  who  are  with  you  are  your 
friends  and  countrymen,  perhaps  they 
will  accompany  you.  They  very  gladly 
144 


Letters  from   England 

acceded,  and  I  was  thankful  Mr.  Emer- 
son had  chanced  to  be  with  me  at  that 
moment  as  it  procured  him  a  high  pleas- 
ure. 

Yesterday  your  father  and  I  dined 
with  Sir  George  Grey.  .  .  .  About 
four  o'clock  came  on  such  a  fog  as  I 
have  not  seen  in  London,  and  the  news- 
papers of  this  morning  speak  of  it  as 
greater  than  has  been  known  for  many 
years.  Sir  George  Grey  lives  in  Eaton 
Place,  which  is  parallel  and  just  behind 
Eaton  Square.  In  going  that  little  dis- 
tance, though  there  is  a  brilliant  gas  light 
at  every  door,  the  coachman  was  com- 
pletely bewildered,  and  lost  himself  en- 
tirely. We  could  only  walk  the  horses, 
the  footman  exploring  ahead.  When 
the  guests  by  degrees  arrived,  there  was 
the  same  rejoicing  as  if  we  had  met  on 
Mont  St.  Bernard  after  a  contest  with 
an  Alpine  snow-storm.  .  .  .  Lady 
145 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

Grey  told  me  she  was  dining  with  the 
Queen  once  in  one  of  these  tremendous 
fogs,  and  that  many  of  the  guests  did 
not  arrive  till  dinner  was  half  through, 
which  was  horrible  at  a  royal  dinner; 
but  the  elements  care  little  for  royal- 
ty- 

November  14th. 

On  Saturday  we  dined  at  the  Due  de 
Broglie's.  He  married  the  daughter 
of  Madam  de  Stael,  but  she  is  not  now 
living.  I  was  very  agreeably  placed 
with  Mr.  Macaulay  on  one  side  of  me, 
so  that  I  found  it  more  pleasant  than 
diplomatic  dinners  usually.  At  the 
English  tables  we  meet  people  who 
know  each  other  well,  and  have  a 
common  culture  and  tastes  and  habits 
of  familiarity,  and  a  fund  of  pleas- 
ant stories,  but  of  course,  at  foreign 
tables,  they  neither  know  each  other  or 

the  English  so  well  as  to  give  the  same 
146 


Letters  from   England 

easy  flow  to  conversation.  I  am  afraid 
we  are  the  greatest  diners-out  in  London, 
but  we  are  brought  into  contact  a  great 
deal  with  the  literary  and  Parliamentary 
people,  which  our  colleagues  know  little 
about,  as  also  with  the  clergy  and  the 
judges.  I  should  not  be  willing  to  make 
it  the  habit  of  my  life,  but  it  is  time 
not  misspent  during  the  years  of  our 
abode  here.  .  .  .  The  good  old 
Archbishop  of  York  is  dead,  and  I  am 
glad  I  paid  my  visit  to  him  when  I  did. 
Mr.  Rogers  has  paid  me  a  long  visit 
to-day  and  gave  me  all  the  particulars 
of  his  death.  It  was  a  subject  I  should 
not  have  introduced,  for  of  that  knot  of 
intimate  friends,  Mr.  Grenville,  the 
Archbishop,  and  himself,  he  is  now  all 
that  remains. 

November  28th. 

.     .     .     On  Monday  evening  I  went 
without  Mr.  Bancroft  to  a  little  party 
147 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

at  Mrs.  Lyell's,  where  I  was  introduced 
to  Mrs.  Somerville.  She  has  resided  for 
the  last  nine  years  abroad,  chiefly  at 
Venice,  but  has  now  come  to  London 
and  taken  a  house  very  near  us.  .  .  . 
Her  daughter  told  me  that  nothing  could 
exceed  the  ease  and  simplicity  with  which 
her  literary  occupations  were  carried  on. 
She  is  just  publishing  a  book  upon  Nat- 
ural Geography  without  regard  to  po- 
litical boundaries.  She  writes  principally 
before  she  rises  in  the  morning  on  a  little 
piece  of  board,  with  her  inkstand  on  a 
table  by  her  side.  After  she  leaves  her 
room  she  is  as  much  at  leisure  as  other 
people,  but  if  an  idea  strikes  her  she 
takes  her  little  board  into  a  corner  or 
window  and  writes  quietly  for  a  short 
time  and  returns  to  join  the  circle. 

Dr.  Somerville  told  me  that  his  wife 
did  not  discover  her  genius  for  mathe- 
matics till  she  was  about  sixteen.     Her 
148 


Letters  from   England 

brother,  who  has  no  talent  for  it,  was 
receiving  a  mathematical  lesson  from 
a  master  while  she  was  hemming  and 
stitching  in  the  room.  In  this  way  she 
first  heard  the  problems  of  Euclid  stated 
and  was  ravished.  When  the  lesson  was 
over,  she  carried  off  the  book  to  her  room 
and  devoured  it.  For  a  long  time  she 
pursued  her  studies  secretly,  as  she  had 
scaled  heights  of  science  which  were  not 
considered  feminine  by  those  about  her. 

December  2d. 
I  put  down  my  pen  yesterday  when 
the  carriage  came  to  the  door  for  my 
drive.  It  was  a  day  bright,  beaming, 
and  exhilarating  as  one  of  our  own 
winter  days.  I  was  so  busy  enjoying 
the  unusual  beams  of  the  unclouded  sun 
that  I  did  not  perceive  for  some  time 
that  I  had  left  my  muff,  and  was  obliged 
to  drive  home  again  to  get  it.  While 
149 


Mrs.  George    Bancroft's 

I  was  waiting  in  the  carriage  for  the 
footman  to  get  it,  two  of  the  most  agree- 
able old-lady  faces  in  the  world  present- 
ed themselves  at  the  window.  They  were 
the  Miss  Berrys.  They  had  driven  up 
behind  me  and  got  out  to  have  a  little 
talk  on  the  sidewalk.  I  took  them  into 
Mr.  Bancroft's  room  and  was  thankful 
that  my  muff  had  sent  me  back  to  receive 
a  visit  which  at  their  age  is  rarely  paid. 
.  .  .  I  found  them  full  of  delight 
at  Mr.  Brooke,  the  Rajah  of  Sarawak, 
with  whose  nobleness  of  soul  they  would 
have  great  sympathy.  He  is  just  now 
the  lion  of  London,  and  like  all  other 
lions  is  run  after  by  most  people  because 
he  is  one,  and  by  the  few  because  he 
deserves  to  be  one.  Now,  lest  you  should 
know  nothing  about  him,  let  me  tell  you 
that  at  his  own  expense  he  fitted  out  a 
vessel,  and  established  himself  at  Bor- 
neo, where  he  soon  acquired  so  great 
150 


Letters   from   England 

[an]  ascendancy  over  the  native  Rajah, 
that  he  insisted  on  resigning  to  him  the 
government  of  his  province  of  Sarawak. 
Here,  with  only  three  European  com- 
panions, by  moral  and  intellectual  force 
alone,  he  succeeded  in  suppressing  piracy 
and  civil  war  among  the  natives  and 
opened  a  trade  with  the  interior  of  Bor- 
neo which  promises  great  advantages 
to  England.  .  .  .  Everybody  here  has 
the  Influenza — a  right-down  influenza, 
that  sends  people  to  their  beds.  Those 
who  have  triumphed  at  their  exemption 
in  the  evening,  wake  up  perhaps  in  the 
morning  full  of  aches  in  every  limb,  and 
scoff  no  longer.  .  .  .  Dinner  parties 
are  sometimes  quite  broken  up  by  the 
excuses  that  come  pouring  in  at  the  last 
moment.  Lady  John  Russell  had  seven 
last  week  at  a  small  dinner  of  twelve; 
1,200  policemen  at  one  time  were  taken 
off  duty,  so  that  the  thieves  might  have 
151 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

had  their  own  way,  but  they  were  prob- 
ably as  badly  off  themselves. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  I.  P.  D. 

London,  December  16,  1847. 

My  dear  Uncle  and  Aunt:  .  .  . 
On  Saturday  Mr.  Hallam  wrote  us  that 
Sir  Robert  Peel  had  promised  to  break- 
fast with  him  on  Monday  morning  and 
he  thought  we  should  like  to  meet  him 
in  that  quiet  way.  So  we  presented  our- 
selves at  ten  o'clock,  and  were  joined 
by  Sir  Robert,  Lord  Mahon,  Macaulay, 
and  Milman,  who  with  Hallam  himself, 
formed  a  circle  that  could  not  be  exceed- 
ed in  the  wide  world.  I  was  the  only 
lady,  except  Miss  Hallam;  but  I  am 
especially  favored  in  the  breakfast  line. 
I  would  cross  the  Atlantic  only  for  the 
pleasure  I  had  that  morning  in  hearing 
such  men  talk  for  two  or  three  hours  in 
an  entirely  easy  unceremonious  breakfast 
152 


Letters  from   England 

way.  Sir  Robert  was  full  of  stories,  and 
showed  himself  as  much  the  scholar  as 
the  statesman.  Macaulay  was  overflow- 
ing as  usual,  and  Lord  Mahon  and  Mil- 
man  are  full  of  learning  and  accomplish- 
ments. The  classical  scholarship  of  these 
men  is  very  perfect  and  sometimes  one 
catches  a  glimpse  of  awfully  deep  abysses 
of  learning.  But  then  it  is  only  a  glimpse, 
for  their  learning  has  no  cumbrous  and 
dull  pedantry  about  it.  They  are  all  men 
of  society  and  men  of  the  world,  who 
keep  up  with  it  everywhere.  There  is 
many  a  pleasant  story  and  many  a  good 
joke,  and  everything  discussed  but  poli- 
tics, which,  as  Sir  Robert  and  Macaulay 
belong  to  opposite  dynasties,  might  be 
dangerous  ground. 

After  dinner  we  went  a  little  before 

ten  to  Lady  Charlotte  Lindsay's.     She 

came  last  week  to  say  that  she  was  to 

have   a    little   dinner  on   Monday   and 

153 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

wished  us  to  come  in  afterwards.  This 
is  universal  here,  and  is  the  easiest  and 
most  agreeable  form  of  society.  She  had 
Lord  Brougham  and  Colonel  and  Mrs. 
Dawson-Damer,  etc.,  to  dine.  .  .  . 
Mrs.  Darner  wished  us  to  come  the  next 
evening  to  her  in  the  same  way,  just  to 
get  our  cup  of  tea.  These  nice  little 
teas  are  what  you  need  in  Boston.  There 
is  no  supper,  no  expense,  nothing  but 
society.  Mrs.  Darner  is  the  grand- 
daughter of  the  beautiful  Lady  Walde- 
grave,  the  niece  of  Horace  Walpole, 
who  married  the  Duke  of  Gloucester. 
She  was  left  an  orphan  at  a  year  old 
and  was  confided  by  her  mother  to  the 
care  of  Mrs.  Fitzherbert.  She  lived 
with  her  until  her  marriage  and  was  a 
great  pet  of  George  IV,  and  tells  a  great 
many  interesting  stories  of  him  and  Mrs. 
Fitzherbert,  who  was  five  years  older 
than  he. 

154 


ft 


.,-   -    •' 


MRS.    DAWSON    DAMER 
From  the  miniature  by  Isabey,  by  permission  of  Lady  Constance  Leslie 


Letters  from   England 
To  W.  D.  B. 

London,  December  30,  1847. 

Dear  W-:  Your  father  left  me  on 
the  1 8th  to  go  to  Paris.  This  is  the  best 
of  all  seasons  for  him  to  be  there,  for  the 
Ministers  are  all  out  of  town  at  Christ- 
mas, and  in  Paris  everything  is  at  its 
height.  My  friends  are  very  kind  to  me 
— those  who  remain  in  town.  .  .  .  One 
day  I  dined  at  Sir  Francis  Simpkinson's 
and  found  a  pleasant  party.  Lady  Simp- 
kinson  is  a  sister  of  Lady  Franklin,  whom 
I  was  very  glad  to  meet,  as  she  has  been 
in  America  and  knows  many  Americans, 
Mrs.  Kirkland  for  one.  .  .  .  Then 
I  have  passed  one  evening  for  the  first 
time  at  Mr.  Tagent's,  the  Unitarian 
clergyman,  where  I  met  many  of  the  lit- 
erary people  who  are  out  of  the  great 
world,  and  yet  very  desirable  to  see. 
155 


Mrs.   George   Bancroft's 

There,  too,  I  met  the  Misses  Cush- 
man,  Charlotte  and  Susan,  who  attend 
his  church.  I  was  very  much  pleased 
with  both  of  them.  I  have  never  seen 
them  play,  but  they  will  send  me  a  list  of 
their  parts  at  their  next  engagement  and 
I  shall  certainly  go  to  hear  them.  They 
are  of  Old  Colony  descent  (from  Elder 
Cushman),  and  have  very  much  of  the 
New  England  character,  culture,  and 
good  sense.  On  Monday  I  dined  at 
Sir  Edward  Codrington's,  the  hero  of 
Navarino,  with  the  Marquis  and  Mar- 
chioness of  Queensberry,  and  a  party  of 
admirals  and  navy  officers.  On  Tuesday 
I  dined  at  Lady  Braye's,  where  were 
Mr.  Rogers,  Dr.  Holland,  Sir  Augustus 
and  Lady  Albinia  Foster,  formerly  Brit- 
ish Minister  to  the  United  States.  He 
could  describe  our  Court,  as  he  called 
it,  in  the  time  of  Madison  and  Mon- 
roe. 

156 


Letters   from   England 

January  I,  1848. 

This  evening,  in  addition  to  my  usual 
morning  letter  from  your  father,  I  have 
another;  a  new  postal  arrangement  be- 
ginning to-day  with  the  New  Year.  He 
gives  me  a  most  interesting  conversation 
he  has  just  been  having  with  Baron  von 
Humboldt,  who  is  now  in  Paris.  He 
says  he  poured  out  a  delicious  stream  of 
remarks,  anecdotes,  narratives,  opinions. 
He  feels  great  interest  in  our  Mexican 
affairs,  as  he  has  been  much  there,  and 
is  a  Mexican  by  adoption. 

His  letter,  dated  the  31st  December, 
says:  "Madam  Adelaide  died  at  three 
this  morning."  This  death  astonished 
me,  for  he  saw  her  only  a  few  evenings 
since  at  the  Palace.  She  was  a  woman 
of  strong  intellect  and  character,  and  her 
brother,  the  King,  was  very  much  at- 
tached to  her  as  a  counsellor  and  friend. 
.  .  .  There  were  more  than  100 
157 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

Americans  to  be  presented  on  New 
Year's  Day  at  Paris,  and,  as  Madam 
Adelaide's  death  took  place  without  a 
day's  warning,  you  can  imagine  the  em- 
broidered coats  and  finery  which  were 
laid  on  the  shelf. 

Saturday,  January  7th. 

Yesterday,  my  dear  son,  I  had  a  de- 
lightful dinner  at  the  dear  Miss  Berrys. 
They  drove  to  the  door  on  Thursday  and 
left  a  little  note  to  say,  "Can  you  for- 
give a  poor  sick  soul  for  not  coming  to 
you  before,  when  you  were  all  alone," 
and  begging  me  to  come  the  next  day 
at  seven,  to  dine.  There  was  Lady  Char- 
lotte and  Lady  Stuart  de  Rothesay,  who 
was  many  years  ambassadress  at  Paris, 
and  very  agreeable.  Then  there  was 
Dr.  Holland  and  Mr.  Stanley,  the  Un- 
der-Secretary of  State,  etc.  In  the  even- 
ing came  quite  an  additional  party,  and 
I  passed  it  most  pleasantly.  .  .  . 
158 


Letters  from   England 

Your  father  writes  that  on  Friday  he 
dined  at  Thiers'  with  Mignet,  Cousin, 
Pontois,  and  Lord  Normanby.  He  says 
such  a  dinner  is  "unique  in  a  man's  life." 
"Mignet  is  delightful,  frank,  open,  gay, 
full  of  intelligence,  and  of  that  grace 
which  makes  society  charming."  .  .  . 
Your  father  to-day  gives  me  some  ac- 
count of  Thiers.  He  is  now  fifty:  he 
rises  at  five  o'clock  every  morning,  toils 
till  twelve,  breakfasts,  makes  researches, 
and  then  goes  to  the  Chambers.  In  the 
evening  he  always  receives  his  friends 
except  Wednesdays  and  Thursdays,  when 
he  attends  his  wife  to  the  opera  and  to 
the  Academic 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  I.  P.  D. 

London,  January  z8th,  1848. 

My  dear  Uncle  and  Aunt  :    .    .    . 
Last   Monday    I    received    [this]    note 
from  George  Sumner,  which  I  thought 
159 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

might  interest  you:  "My  dear  Mrs. 
Bancroft:  I  hasten  to  congratulate  you 
upon  an  event  most  honorable  to  Mr. 
Bancroft  and  to  our  country.  The 
highest  honor  which  can  be  bestowed  in 
France  upon  a  foreigner  has  just  been 
conferred  on  him.  He  was  chosen  this 
afternoon  a  Corresponding  Member  of 
the  Institute.  Five  names  were  presented 
for  the  vacant  chair  of  History.  Every 
vote  but  one  was  in  favor  of  Mr.  Ban- 
croft (that  one  for  Mr.  Grote  of  Lon- 
don, author  of  the  'History  of  Greece'). 
A  gratifying  fact  in  regard  to  this  elec- 
tion is  that  it  comes  without  the  knowl- 
edge of  Mr.  Bancroft,  and  without  any 
of  those  preliminary  visits  on  his  part, 
and  those  appeals  to  academicians  whose 
votes  are  desired,  that  are  so  common 
with  candidates  for  vacancies  at  the  In- 
stitute. The  honor  acquires  double  value 
for  being  unsought,  and  I  have  heard 
1 60 


MRS.     FITZHERBERT 

From  the  pastel  by  J.   Russell 


Letters   from   England 

with  no  small  satisfaction  several  Mem- 
bers of  the  Academy  contrast  the  modest 
reserve  of  Mr.  Bancroft  with  the  restless 
manoeuvres  to  which  they  have  been  ac- 
customed. Prescott,  you  know,  is  al- 
ready a  member,  and  I  think  America 
may  be  satisfied  with  two  out  of  seven 
of  a  class  of  History  which  is  selected 
from  the  world." 


To  T.  D. 

London,  February  24,  1848. 

My  dear  Brother:  .  .  .  Great 
excitement  exists  in  London  to-day  at 
the  reception  of  the  news  from  France. 
Guizot  is  overthrown,  and  Count  Mole 
is  made  Prime  Minister.  The  National 
Guards  have  sided  with  the  people,  and 
would  not  fire  upon  them,  and  that  se- 
cret of  the  weakness  of  the  army  being 
revealed,  I  do  not  see  why  the  Liberal 
161 


Mrs.  George    Bancroft's 

party  cannot  obtain  all  they  want  in  the 
end.  Louis  Philippe  has  sacrificed  the 
happiness  of  France  for  the  advance- 
ment of  his  own  family,  but  nations  in 
the  nineteenth  [century]  have  learned 
that  they  were  not  made  to  be  the  slaves 
of  a  dynasty.  Mr.  Bancroft  dines  with 
the  French  Minister  to-day,  not  with  a 
party,  but  quite  en  famille,  and  he  will 
learn  there  what  the  hopes  and  fears  of 
the  Government  are. 

February  25th. 
The  news  this  morning  is  only  from 
Amiens,  which  has  risen  in  support  of 
France.  The  railways  are  torn  up  all 
round  Paris,  to  prevent  the  passage  of 
troops,  and  the  roads  and  barriers  are  all 
in  possession  of  the  people.  All  France 
will  follow  the  lead  of  Paris,  and  what 
will  be  the  result  Heaven  only  knows. 


162 


Letters   from   England 
To  L  P.  D. 

London,  February  26,  1848. 

My  dear  Uncle  :  .  .  .  On  Thurs- 
day Mr.  Bancroft  dined  with  Count  Jar- 
nac,  the  Minister  in  the  Due  de  Broglie's 
absence,  and  he  little  dreamed  of  the 
blow  awaiting  him.  The  fortifications 
and  the  army  seemed  to  make  the  King 
quite  secure.  On  Friday  Mr.  Bancroft 
went  to  dine  with  Kenyon,  and  I  drove 
there  with  him  for  a  little  air.  On  my 
return  Cates,  the  butler,  saluted  me  with 
the  wondrous  news  of  the  deposition  and 
flight  of  the  royal  family,  which  Mr. 
Brodhead  had  rushed  up  from  his  club 
to  impart  to  us.  I  was  engaged  to  a 
little  party  at  Mr.  Hallam's,  where  I 
found  everybody  in  great  excitement. 

Sunday  Noon. 
To-day  we  were  to  have  dined  with 

Baron  de  Rothschild,  but  this  morning 

163 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

I  got  a  note  from  the  beautiful  baron- 
ess, saying  that  her  sister-in-law  and  her 
mother  with  three  children,  had  just 
arrived  from  Paris  at  her  house  in  the 
greatest  distress,  without  a  change  of 
clothes,  and  in  deep  anxiety  about  the 
Baron,  who  had  stayed  behind. 

Our  colleagues  all  look  bewildered 
and  perplexed  beyond  measure.  .  .  . 
The  English  aristocracy  have  no  love  for 
Louis  Philippe,  but  much  less  for  a  re- 
public, so  near  at  hand,  and  everybody 
seemed  perplexed  and  uneasy. 

Tuesday. 

On  Sunday  the  Due  de  Nemours  ar- 
rived at  the  French  Embassy,  and  Mon- 
day the  poor  Duchess  de  Montpensier, 
the  innocent  cause  of  all  the  trouble.  No 
one  knows  where  the  Duchess  de  Ne- 
mours and  her  younger  children  are,  and 
the  King  and  Queen  are  entirely  miss- 
164 


Letters  from   England 

ing.  At  one  moment  it  is  reported  that 
he  is  drowned,  and  then,  again,  at  Brus- 
sels. 

Wednesday. 

To-day  the  French  Embassy  have  re- 
ceived despatches  announcing  the  new 
government,  and  Count  Jarnac  has  im- 
mediately resigned.  This  made  it  im- 
possible for  the  Due  de  Nemours  and 
the  Duchess  de  Montpensier  to  remain 
at  the  Embassy,  and  they  fell  by  inher- 
itance to  Mr.  Van  de  Weyer,  whose 
Queen  is  Louis  Philippe's  daughter. 
The  Queen  has  taken  Louis  Philippe's 
daughter,  Princess  Clementine,  who 
married  Prince  Auguste  de  Saxe-Coburg 
to  the  Palace,  but  for  State  Policy's  sake 
she  can  do  nothing  about  the  others. 
Mr.  Van  de  Weyer  offered  Mr.  Bates's 
place  of  East  Sheen,  which  was  most 
gratefully  accepted. 


165 


Mrs.   George    Bancroft's 

Friday. 

This  morning  came  Thackeray,  who 
is  the  soul  of  Punch,  and  showed  me  a 
piece  he  had  written  for  the  next  num- 
ber. 

Saturday. 

The  King  has  arrived.  What  a  cross- 
ing of  the  Channel,  pea-jacket,  woollen 
comforter,  and  all !  The  flight  is  a  per- 
fect comedy,  and  if  Punch  had  tried  to 
invent  anything  more  ludicrous,  it  would 
have  failed.  Panic,  despotism,  and 
cowardice. 

These  things  are  much  more  exciting 
here  than  across  the  water.  We  are  so 
near  the  scene  of  action  and  everybody 
has  a  more  personal  interest  here  in  all 
these  matters.  The  whole  week  has 
been  like  a  long  play,  and  now,  on  Satur- 
day night,  I  want  nothing  but  repose. 
What  a  dream  it  must  be  to  the  chief 
actors !    The  Queen,  who  is  always  good 

166 


Letters  from   England 

and  noble,  was  averse  to  such  ignomin- 
ious flight;  she  preferred  staying  and 
taking  what  came,  and  if  Madam  Ade- 
laide had  lived,  they  would  never  have 
made  such  a  [word  undecipherable]  fig- 
ure. Her  pride  and  courage  would  have 
inspired  them.  With  her  seemed  to  fly 
Louis  Philippe's  star,  as  Napoleon's 
with  Josephine.  .  .  .  Mr.  Emerson 
has  just  come  to  London  and  we  give 
him  a  dinner  on  Tuesday,  the  14th. 
Several  persons  wish  much  to  see  him, 
and  Monckton  Milnes  reviewed  him  in 
Blackwood. 

To  W.  D.  B. 

London,  March  11,  1848. 

Dear  W. :  .  .  .  Yesterday  we 
dined  at  Lord  Lansdowne's.  Among 
the  guests  were  M.  and  Madam  Van  de 

Weyer,   and  Mrs.   Austin,   the   transla- 

167 


Mrs.  George    Bancroft's 

tress,  who  has  been  driven  over  here 
from  Paris,  where  she  has  resided  for 
several  years.  She  is  a  vehement  friend 
of  Guizot's,  though  a  bitter  accuser  of 
Louis  Philippe,  but  how  can  they  be  sep- 
arated? She  interests  herself  strongly 
now  in  all  his  arrangements,  and  is  assist- 
ing his  daughters  to  form  their  humble 
establishment.  He  and  his  daughters 
together  have  about  eight  hundred 
pounds  a  year,  and  that  in  London  is 
poverty.  They  have  taken  a  small  house 
in  Brompton  Square,  a  little  out  of  town, 
and  one  of  those  suburban,  unfashiona- 
ble regions  where  the  most  accommoda- 
tions can  be  had  at  the  least  price. 
What  a  change  for  those  who  have  wit- 
nessed their  almost  regal  receptions  in 
Paris!  The  young  ladies  bear  very 
sweetly  all  their  reverses.  .  .  .  Gui- 
zot,  himself,  I  hear,  is  as  fier  as  ever, 
and  almost  gay.     Princess  de  Lieven  is 

168 


Letters   from   England 

here    at    the    "  Clarendon,"    and    their 
friendship  is  as  great  as  ever. 

March  i  5th. 

Yesterday  we  had  an  agreeable  din- 
ner at  our  own  house.  Macaulay,  Mil- 
man,  Lord  Morpeth  and  Monckton 
Milnes  were  all  most  charming,  and  we 
ladies  listened  with  eager  ears.  Conver- 
sation was  never  more  interesting  than 
just  now,  in  this  great  crisis  of  the 
world's  affairs.  Mr.  Emerson  was  here 
and  seemed  to  enjoy  [it]  much. 

Friday,  March  17th. 

Things  look  rather  darker  in  France, 
but  we  ought  not  to  expect  a  republic 
to  be  established  without  some  difficul- 
ties. .  .  .  You  cannot  judge  of  the 
state  of  France,  however,  through  the 
medium  of  the  English  newspapers,  for, 
of  course,  English  sympathies  are  all 
169 


Mrs.   George   Bancroft's 

entirely  against  it.  They  never  like 
France,  and  a  republic  of  any  kind  still 
less.  A  peaceful  and  prosperous  repub- 
lic in  the  heart  of  Europe  would  be 
more  deprecated  than  a  state  of  anarchy. 
The  discussion  of  French  matters  reveals 
to  me  every  moment  the  deep  repugnance 
of  the  English  to  republican  institutions. 
It  lets  in  a  world  of  light  upon  opinions 
and  feelings,  which,  otherwise,  would 
not  have  been  discovered  by  me. 

Sunday,  March  19th. 

Yesterday  we  breakfasted  at  Mrs. 
Milman's.  I  was  the  only  lady,  but 
there  were  Macaulay,  Hallam,  Lord 
Morpeth,  and,  above  all,  Charles  Aus- 
tin, whom  I  had  not  seen  before,  as  he 
never  dines  out,  but  who  is  the  most 
striking  talker  in  England.  He  has 
made  a  fortune  by  the  law  in  the  last 
few  years,  which  gives  him  an  income  of 
170 


RICHARD  MONCKTON  MILNES,  (LORD  HOUGHTON) 

From  the  drawing  by  Cousins,  by  permission  of  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Arthur 
Henniker 


Letters  from  England 

£8,000.  He  has  the  great  railroad  cases 
which  come  before  the  House  of  Lords. 
.  .  .  On  Tuesday  came  a  flying  report 
of  a  revolution  in  Berlin,  but  no  one  be- 
lieved it.  We  concluded  it  rather  a 
speculation  of  the  newsmen,  who  are 
hawking  revolutions  after  every  mail  in 
second  and  third  editions.  We  were  go- 
ing that  evening  to  a  soiree  at  Bunsen's, 
whom  we  found  cheerful  as  ever  and 
fearing  no  evil.  On  Monday  the  news 
of  the  revolution  in  Austria  produced  a 
greater  sensation  even  than  France,  for 
it  was  the  very  pivot  of  conservatism. 
.  .  .  On  Thursday  I  received  the  let- 
ter from  A.  at  eight  A.  M.,  which  I  en- 
close to  you.  It  gives  an  account  of  the 
revolution  in  Berlin. 


171 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 
To  T.  D. 

March  3  1 . 
The  old  world  is  undergoing  a  com- 
plete reorganization,  and  is  unfolding  a 
rapid  series  of  events  more  astonishing 
than  anything  in  history.  Where  it  will 
stop,  and  what  will  be  its  results,  nobody 
can  tell.  Royalty  has  certainly  not  add- 
ed to  its  respectability  by  its  conduct  in 
its  time  of  trial.  Since  the  last  steamer 
went,  Italy  has  shaken  off  the  Austrian 
yoke,  Denmark  has  lost  her  German 
provinces,  Poland  has  risen,  or  is  about 
to  rise,  which  will  bring  Russia  thunder- 
ing down  upon  Liberal  Europe.  .  .  . 
Our  whole  Diplomatic  Corps  are  cer- 
tainly "  in  a  fix,"  and  we  are  really  the 
only  members  of  it  who  have  any  reason 
to  be  quite  at  ease.  Two  or  three  have 
been  called  home  to  be  Ministers  of  For- 
eign Affairs,  as  they  have  learned  some- 
172 


Letters   from   England 

thing  of  constitutional  liberty  in  Eng- 
land. England  is,  as  yet,  all  quiet,  and 
I  hope  will  keep  so,  but  the  Chartists  are 
at  work  and  Ireland  is  full  of  inflamma- 
ble matter.  But  England  does  love  her 
institutions,  and  is  justly  proud  of  their 
comparative  freedom,  and  long  may  she 
enjoy  them.  .  .  .  On  Sunday  Mr. 
Emerson  dined  with  us  with  Lady  Mor- 
gan and  Mrs.  Jameson — the  authoress. 
On  Monday  I  took  him  to  a  little  party 
at  Lady  Morgan's.  His  works  are  a 
good  deal  known  here.  I  have  great 
pleasure  in  seeing  so  old  a  friend  so  far 
from  home.  ...  I  think  we  shall 
have  very  few  of  our  countrymen  out 
this  spring,  as  travelling  in  Europe  is  so 
uncertain,  with  everything  in  commotion. 
Those  who  are  passing  the  winter  in  Italy 
are  quite  shut  in  at  present,  and  if  war 
begins,  no  one  knows  where  it  will 
spread. 

173 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 
To  W.  D.  B. 

London,  April  7,  1848. 

.  On  Wednesday  we  had  an 
agreeable  dinner  at  Mrs.  Milner  Gib- 
son's. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Disraeli,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sheridan  (brother  of  Mrs.  Nor- 
ton) ,  etc.,  were  among  the  guests.  After 
dinner  I  had  a  very  long  talk  with  Dis- 
raeli. He  is,  you  know,  of  the  ultra 
Tory  party  here,  and  looks  at  the  Con- 
tinental movements  from  the  darkest 
point  of  view.  He  cannot  admit  as  a 
possibility  the  renovation  of  European 
society  upon  more  liberal  principles,  and 
considers  it  as  the  complete  dissolution 
of  European  civilization  which  will,  like 
Asia,  soon  present  but  the  ashes  of  a 
burnt-out  flame.  This  is  most  atheistic, 
godless,  and  un-christian  doctrine,  and 
he  cannot  himself  believe  it.  The  art  of 
printing  and  the  rapid  dissemination 
174 


Letters   from   England 

of  thought  changes  all  these  things  in 
our  days. 


To  I.  P.  D. 

April  10. 
This  is  the  day  of  the  "  Great  Chart- 
ist Meeting,"  which  has  terrified  all 
London  to  the  last  degree,  I  think  most 
needlessly.  The  city  and  town  is  at  this 
moment  stiller  than  I  have  ever  known 
it,  for  not  a  carriage  dares  to  be  out. 
Nothing  is  to  be  seen  but  a  "  special  con- 
stable "  (every  gentleman  in  London  is 
sworn  into  that  office) ,  occasionally  some 
on  foot,  some  on  horseback,  scouring  the 
streets.  I  took  a  drive  early  this  morn- 
ing with  Mr.  Bancroft,  and  nothing 
could  be  less  like  the  eve  of  a  revolution. 
This  evening,  when  the  petition  is  to  be 
presented,  may  bring  some  disturbance, 
not  from  the  Chartists  themselves,  but 
175 


Mrs.   George    Bancroft's 

from  the  disorderly  persons  who  may 
avail  themselves  of  the  occasion.  The 
Queen  left  town  on  Saturday  for  the  Isle 
of  Wight,  as  she  had  so  lately  been  con- 
fined it  was  feared  her  health  might 
suffer  from  any  agitation.  ...  I 
passed  a  long  train  of  artillery  on  Satur- 
day evening  coming  into  town,  which 
was  the  most  in  earnest  looking  thing  I 
have  seen.  .  .  .  To-day  we  were  to 
have  dined  at  Mrs.  Mansfield's,  but  her 
dinner  was  postponed  from  the  great 
alarm  about  the  Chartists.  There  is  not 
the  slightest  danger  of  a  revolution 
in  England.  The  upper  middle-class, 
which  on  the  continent  is  entirely  with 
the  people,  the  professional  and  mercan- 
tile class,  is  here  entirely  conservative, 
and  without  that  class  no  great  changes 
can  ever  be  made.  The  Due  de  Monte- 
bello  said  of  France,  that  he  "  knew 
there  were  lava  streams  below,  but  he 
176 


Letters   from   England 

did  not  know  the  crust  was  so  thin." 
Here,  on  the  contrary,  the  crust  is  very 
thick.  And  yet  I  can  see  in  the  most 
conservative  circles  that  a  feeling  is  gain- 
ing ground  that  some  concessions  must 
be  made.  An  enlargement  of  the  suf- 
frage one  hears  now  often  discussed  as, 
perhaps,  an  approaching  necessity. 

Friday,  April  14. 

The  day  of  the  Chartists  passed  off 
with  most  ridiculous  quiet,  and  the  gov- 
ernment is  stronger  than  ever.  .  . 
If  the  Alien  Bill  passes,  our  American 
friends  must  mind  their  p's  and  q's,  for 
if  they  praise  the  "  model  republic  "  too 
loudly,  they  may  be  packed  off  at  any 
time,  particularly  if  they  have  "  long 
beards,"  for  it  seems  to  be  an  axiom  here 
that  beards,  mustaches,  and  barricades 
are  cousins-german  at  least.  .  .  .  Mr. 
Bancroft  goes  to  Paris  on  Monday,  the 
177 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

17th,  to  pass  the  Easter  holidays.  He 
will  go  on  with  his  manuscripts,  and  at 
the  same  time  witness  the  elections  and 
meeting  of  the  Convention. 


To  W.  D.  B. 

London,  April  19,  1848. 
Dear  W. :  .  .  .  To-day  I  have 
driven  down  to  Richmond  to  lunch  with 
Mrs.  Drummond,  who  is  passing  the 
Easter  holidays  there.  On  coming  home 
I  found  a  letter  from  Mr.  Bancroft  from 
which  I  will  make  some  extracts,  as  he 
has  the  best  sources  of  knowledge  in 
Paris.  "  Then  I  went  to  Mignet,  who, 
you  know,  is  politically  the  friend  of 
Thiers.  He  pointed  out  to  me  the  con- 
dition of  France,  and  drew  for  me  a  pict- 
ure of  what  it  was  and  of  the  change. 
I  begin  to  see  the  difference  between 
France  and  us.  Here  they  are  accus- 
es 


Letters   from   England 

tomed  to  be  governed.  We  are  accus- 
tomed to  govern.  Here  power  may  be 
seized  and  exercised,  if  exercised  in  a 
satisfactory  manner;  with  us  the  founda- 
tion of  power,  its  constitutionality  and 
the  legality  of  its  acts  are  canvassed  and 
analyzed.  Here  an  unpopularity  is  made 
away  with  by  a  revolution,  and  you  know 
how  we  deal  with  it.  Thus,  power,  if  in 
favor,  may  dare  anything,  and  if  out  of 
favor  is  little  likely  to  be  forgiven." 
.  .  .  "  Our  fathers  had  to  unite  the 
thirteen  States;  here  they  have  unity 
enough  and  run  no  risk  but  from  the  ex- 
cess of  it.  My  hopes  are  not  less  than 
they  were,  but  all  that  France  needs  may 
not  come  at  once.  We  were  fourteen 
years  in  changing  our  confederation  into 
a  union,  perhaps  France  cannot  be  ex- 
pected to  jump  at  once  into  perfect  legis- 
lation or  perfect  forms.  Crude  ideas  are 
afloat,  but  as  to  Communism,  it  is  al- 

179 


Mrs.   George   Bancroft's 

ready  exploded,  or  will  be  brushed  away 
from  legislative  power  as  soon  as  the 
National  Assembly  meets,  though  the 
question  of  ameliorating  the  condition  of 
the  laboring  class  is  more  and  more  en- 
gaging the  public  mind."  .  .  .  "I 
spent  an  hour  with  Cousin,  the  Minister 
of  a  morning.  He  gave  me  sketches  of 
many  of  the  leading  men  of  these  times, 
and  I  made  him  detail  to  me  the  scene 
of  Louis  Philippe's  abdication,  which 
took  place  in  a  manner  quite  different 
from  what  I  had  heard  in  London." 
.  .  .  "  Cousin,  by  the  way,  says  that 
the  Due  de  Nemours  throughout,  be- 
haved exceedingly  well.  Thence  to  the 
Club  de  la  Nouvelle  Republique.  Did 
not  think  much  of  the  speaking  which  I 
heard.  From  the  club  I  went  to  Thiers, 
where  I  found  Cousin  and  Mignet  and 
one  or  two  more.  Some  change  since  I 
met  him.  A  leader  of  opposition,  then 
1 80 


Letters   from   England 

a  prime  minister,  and  now  left  aground 
by  the  shifting  tide."  ..."  Every- 
body has  given  up  Louis  Philippe,  every- 
body considers  the  nonsense  of  Louis 
Blanc  as  drawing  to  its  close.  The  dele- 
gates from  Paris  will  full  half  be  uni- 
versally acceptable.  Three- fourths  of 
the  provincial  delegates  will  be  moderate 
republicans.  The  people  are  not  in  a 
passion.  They  go  quietly  enough  about 
their  business  of  constructing  new  insti- 
tutions. Ledru-Rollin,  Louis  Blanc, 
and  Flocon  tried  to  lead  the  way  to  ill, 
but  Lamartine,  whose  heroism  passes  be- 
lief and  activity  passes  human  power,  won 
the  victory  over  them,  found  himself 
on  Sunday,  and  again  yesterday,  sus- 
tained by  all  Paris,  and  has  not  only  con- 
quered but  conciliated  them,  and  every- 
body is  now  firmly  of  opinion  that  the 
Republic  will  be  established  quietly." 
.    .    .     "  But  while  there  are  no  difficul- 

1S1 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

ties  from  the  disorderly  but  what  can 
easily  be  overcome,  the  want  of  republi- 
can and  political  experience,  combined 
with  vanity  and  self-reliance  and  ideal- 
ism, may  throw  impediments  in  the  way 
of  what  the  wisest  wish,  viz.,  two  elected 
chambers  and  a  president." 


To  W.  D.  B. 

London,  May  5,  1848. 
My  DEAR  W. :  .  .  .  Last  evening, 
Thursday,  we  went  to  see  Jenny  Lind, 
on  her  first  appearance  this  year.  She 
was  received  with  enthusiasm,  and  the 
Queen  still  more  so.  It  was  the  first  time 
the  Queen  had  been  at  the  opera  since 
the  birth  of  her  child,  and  since  the  re- 
publican spirit  was  abroad,  and  loyalty 
burst  out  in  full  force.  Now  loyalty  is 
very  novel,  and  pleasant  to  witness,  to  us 
who  have  never  known  it. 
182 


Letters  from   England 

London,  May  31,  1848. 

.  .  .  Now  for  my  journal,  which 
has  gone  lamely  on  since  the  24th  of 
February.  The  Queen's  Ball  was  to 
take  place  the  evening  on  which  I  closed 
my  last  letter.  My  dress  was  a  white 
crepe  over  white  satin,  with  flounces  of 
Honiton  lace  looped  up  with  pink  tube- 
roses. A  wreath  of  tuberoses  and  bou- 
quet for  the  corsage.  We  had  tickets 
sent  us  to  go  through  the  garden  and  set 
down  at  a  private  door,  which  saves 
waiting  in  the  long  line  of  carriages  for 
your  turn.  The  Diplomatic  Corps  ar- 
range themselves  in  a  line  near  the  door 
at  which  the  Queen  enters  the  suite  of 
rooms,  which  was  at  ten  precisely.  She 
passes  through,  curtseying  and  bowing 
very  gracefully,  until  she  reaches  the 
throne  in  the  next  room,  where  she  and 
the  Duchess  of  Cambridge,  the  Duchess 
of  Saxe-Weimar  and  her  daughters,  who 
183 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

are  here  on  a  visit,  etc.,  sit  down,  while 
Prince  Albert,  the  Prince  of  Prussia  and 
other  sprigs  of  royalty  stand  near.  The 
dancing  soon  began  in  front  of  the  can- 
opy, but  the  Queen  herself  did  not  dance 
on  account  of  her  mourning  for  Prince 
Albert's  grandmother.  There  was  an- 
other band  and  dancing  in  other  rooms 
at  the  same  time.  After  seeing  several 
dances  here  the  Queen  and  her  suite 
move  by  the  flourish  of  trumpets  to  an- 
other room,  the  guests  forming  a  lane  as 
she  passes,  bowing  and  smiling.  After- 
ward she  made  a  similar  progress  to  sup- 
per, her  household  officers  moving  back- 
wards before  her,  and  her  ladies  and 
royal  relatives  and  friends  following. 
At  half-past  one  Her  Majesty  retired 
and  the  guests  departed,  such  as  did  not 
have  to  wait  two  hours  for  their  car- 
riages. On  Saturday  we  went  at  two  to 
the  fete  of  flowers  at  Chiswick,  and  at 
184 


Letters   from    England 

half-past  seven  dined  at  Lord  Mont- 
eagle's  to  meet  Monsieur  and  Made- 
moiselle Guizot.  He  has  the  finest  head 
in  the  world,  but  his  person  is  short  and 
insignificant. 

On  Wednesday  we  dined  at  Lady 
Chantrey's  to  meet  a  charming  party. 
Afterward  we  went  to  a  magnificent  ball 
at  the  Duke  of  Devonshire's,  with  all 
the  great  world.  On  Friday  we  went  to 
Faraday's  lecture  at  the  Royal  Institu- 
tion. We  went  in  with  the  Duke 
and  Duchess  of  Northumberland,  and  I 
sat  by  her  during  the  lecture.  On  Satur- 
day was  the  Queen's  Birthday  Drawing- 
Room.  .  .  .  Mr.  Bancroft  dined  at 
Lord  Palmerston's  with  all  the  diplo- 
mats, and  I  went  in  the  evening  with  a 
small  party  of  ladies.  On  coming  home 
we  drove  round  to  see  the  brilliant  birth- 
day illuminations.  The  first  piece  of  in- 
telligence I  heard  at  Lady  Palmerston's 
185 


Mrs.   George   Bancroft's 

was  the  death  of  the  Princess  Sophia,  an 
event  which  is  a  happy  release  for  her, 
for  she  was  blind  and  a  great  sufferer.  It 
has  overturned  all  court  festivities,  of 
course,  for  the  present,  and  puts  us  all 
in  deep  mourning,  which  is  not  very  con- 
venient just  now,  in  the  brilliant  season, 
and  when  we  had  all  our  dress  arrange- 
ments made.  The  Queen  was  to  have 
had  a  concert  to-night,  a  drawing-room 
next  Friday,  and  a  ball  on  the  16th, 
which  are  all  deferred.  ...  I  for- 
got to  say  that  I  got  a  note  from  Miss 
Coutts  on  Sunday,  asking  me  to  go  with 
her  the  next  day  to  see  the  Chinese  junk, 
so  at  three  the  next  day  we  repaired  to 
her  house.  Her  sisters  (Miss  Burdetts) 
and  Mr.  Rogers  were  all  the  party.  At 
the  junk  for  the  first  time  I  saw  Metter- 
nich  and  the  Princess,  his  wife. 


186 


Letters  from   England 
To  W.  D.  B. 

London, June  29,  1848. 

My  dear  W. :  .  .  .  When  I  last 
left  off  I  was  going  to  dine  at  Miss 
Coutts's  to  meet  the  Duchess  of  Cam- 
bridge. The  party  was  brilliant,  includ- 
ing the  Duke  of  Wellington,  Lord  and 
Lady  Douro,  Lady  Jersey  and  the  beau- 
tiful Lady  Clementina  Villiers,  her 
daughter,  etc.  When  royal  people  ar- 
rive everybody  rises  and  remains  stand- 
ing while  they  stand,  and  if  they  ap- 
proach you  or  look  at  you,  you  must 
perform  the  lowest  of  "  curtsies."  The 
courtesy  made  to  royalty  is  very  like  the 
one  I  was  taught  to  make  when  a  little 
girl  at  Miss  Tuft's  school  in  Plymouth. 
One  sinks  down  instead  of  stepping  back 
in  dancing-school  fashion.  After  dinner 
the  Duchess  was  pleased  to  stand  until 

the  gentlemen  rejoined  us;  of  course,  we 
187 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

must  all  stand.  .  .  .  The  next  day 
we  dined  at  the  Lord  Mayor's  to  meet 
the  Ministers.  This  was  a  most  interest- 
ing affair.  We  had  all  the  peculiar  cere- 
monies which  I  described  to  you  last 
autumn,  but  in  addition  the  party  was 
most  distinguished,  and  we  had  speeches 
from  Lord  Lansdowne,  Lord  Palmer- 
ston,  Lord  John,  Lord  Auckland,  Sir 
George  Grey,  etc. 

To  W.  D.  B. 

London,  July  21,  1848. 

I  was  truly  grieved  that  the  last  steam- 
er should  go  to  Boston  without  a  line 
from  me,  but  I  was  in  Yorkshire  and  you 
must  forgive  me.  ...  I  left  off  with 
the  26th  of  June.  .  .  .  The  next 
evening  was  the  Queen's  Concert,  which 
was  most  charming.  I  sat  very  near  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  who  often  spoke  to 
188 


Letters   from   England 

me  between  the  songs.  .  .  .  The  next 
day  we  went  with  Miss  Coutts  to  her 
bank,  lunched  there,  and  went  all  over 
the  building.  Then  we  went  to  the  Tow- 
er and  the  Tunnel  together,  she  never 
having  seen  either.  So  ignorant  are  the 
West  End  people  of  city  lions.  .  .  . 
And  now  comes  my  pleasant  Yorkshire 
excursion.  We  left  London,  at  half-past 
nine  and  arrived  at  York  at  half-past 
three,  at  distance  of  180  miles.  This 
was  Saturday,  July  8.  At  York  we 
found  Mr.  Hudson  ready  to  receive  us 
and  conduct  us  to  a  special  train  which 
took  us  eighteen  miles  on  the  way  to 
Newby  Park,  and  there  we  found  car- 
riages to  take  us  four  miles  to  our  desti- 
nation. We  met  at  dinner  and  found 
our  party  to  consist  of  the  Duke  of  Rich- 
mond, Lord  Lonsdale,  Lord  George 
Bentinck,  Lord  Ingestre,  Lord  John 
Beresford,  Lady  Webster,  whose  hus- 
189 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

band,  now  dead,  was  the  son  of  Lady 
Holland,  two  or  three  agreeable  talkers 
to  fill  in,  and  ourselves. 

Tuesday. 
Lady  Webster,  Mr.  Bancroft,  and 
myself,  went  to  Castle  Howard,  as 
Lord  Morpeth  had  written  to  his 
mother  that  we  were  to  be  there  and 
would  lunch  with  her.  Castle  How- 
ard is  twenty-five  miles  the  other  side  of 
York,  which  is  itself  twenty-five  miles 
from  Newby.  But  what  is  fifty  miles 
when  one  is  under  the  wing  of  the  Rail- 
way King  and  can  have  a  special  engine 
at  one's  disposal.  On  arriving  at  the 
Castle  Howard  station  we  found  Lord 
Carlisle's  carriage  with  four  horses  and 
most  venerable  coachman  waiting  to  re- 
ceive us.  We  enter  the  Park  almost 
immediately,  but  it  is  about  four  miles 
to  the  Castle,  through  many  gates,  which 
we  had  mounted  footmen  open  for  us. 
190 


LORD    GEORGE    BENTINCK. 

From  the  picture  by  Lane,  by  permission  of  the  Duke  of  Portland 


Letters   from   England 

Lady  Carlisle  received  us  in  the  most 
delightful  manner.  ...  I  was  de- 
lighted to  see  Lord  Morpeth's  home  and 
his  mother,  who  seldom  now  goes  to 
London.  She  was  the  daughter  of  the 
beautiful  Duchess  of  Devonshire,  and 
took  me  into  her  own  dressing-room  to 
show  me  her  picture.  .  .  .  On 
Wednesday  we  went  into  York  to  wit- 
ness the  reception  of  Prince  Albert,  to 
see  the  ruins  of  St.  Mary's  Abbey,  the 
Flower  Show,  to  lunch  with  the  Lord 
Mayor,  and  above  all,  to  attend  prayers 
in  the  Minster  and  hear  a  noble  an- 
them. The  Cathedral  was  crowded  with 
strangers  and  a  great  many  from  Lon- 
don. The  next  day  was  the  day  of  the 
great  dinner,  and  I  send  you  the  Post 
containing  Mr.  Bancroft's  speech.  It 
was  warmly  admired  by  all  who  heard  it. 

At  ten  at  night  we  ladies  set  out  for 

York  to  go  [to]  the  Lord  Mayor's  Ball, 
191 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

where  the  gentlemen  were  to  meet  us 
from  the  dinner.  Everybody  flocked 
round  to  congratulate  me  upon  your 
father's  speech.  Even  Prince  Albert, 
when  I  was  led  up  to  make  my  curtsey, 
offered  me  his  hand,  which  is  a  great 
courtesy  in  royalty,  and  spoke  of  the 
great  beauty  and  eloquence  of  Mr.  B.'s 
speech.  The  Prince  soon  went  away: 
the  Lord  Mayor  took  me  down  to  sup- 
per and  I  sat  between  him  and  the  Duke 
of  Richmond  at  the  high  table  which 
went  across  the  head  of  the  hall.  Guild- 
hall is  a  beautiful  old  room  with  a  fine 
old  traceried  window,  and  the  scene,  with 
five  tables  going  the  length  of  the  hall 
and  the  upper  one  across  the  head,  was 
very  gay  and  brilliant.  There  were  a 
few  toasts,  and  your  father  again  made 
a  little  speech,  short  and  pleasant.  We 
did  not  get  home  till  half-past  three  in 
the  morning.  .  .  .  On  Friday  morn- 
192 


Letters  from   England 

ing  [July  14th]  many  of  the  guests,  the 
Duke  of  Richmond,  etc.,  took  their  de- 
parture and  Mr.  Hudson  had  to  escort 
Prince  Albert  to  town,  but  returned  the 
same  evening.  .  .  .  The  next  day 
we  all  went  to  pay  a  visit  to  an  estate  of 
Mr.  Hudson's  [name  of  estate  inde- 
cipherable] for  which  he  paid  five  hun- 
dred thousand  pounds  to  the  Duke  of 
Devonshire.  .  .  .  It  is  nobly  situated 
in  the  Yorkshire  wolds,  a  fine  range  of 
hills,  and  overlooking  the  valley  of  the 
Humber,  which  was  interesting  to  me, 
as  it  was  the  river  which  our  Pilgrim 
fathers  sailed  down  and  lay  in  the  Wash 
at  its  mouth,  awaiting  their  passage  to 
Holland.  They  came,  our  Plymouth 
fathers,  mostly  from  Lincolnshire  and 
the  region  which  lay  below  us.  I 
thought  of  them,  and  the  scene  of  their 
sufferings  was  more  ennobled  in  my  eyes, 

from  their  remembrance  than  from  the 
193 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

noble  mansions  and  rich  estates  which 
feast  the  eye. 

On  Monday  morning  we  left  New- 
by  for  York  on  our  way  home.  It  so 
happened  that  the  judges  were  to  open 
the  court  that  very  morning,  on  which 
occasion  they  always  breakfast  with  the 
Lord  Mayor  in  their  scarlet  robes  and 
wigs,  the  Lord  Mayor  and  aldermen  are 
also  in  their  furred  scarlet  robes  and  the 
Lady  Mayoress  presents  the  judges  with 
enormous  bouquets  of  the  richest  flow- 
ers. We  were  invited  to  this  breakfast, 
and  I  found  it  very  entertaining.  I  was 
next  the  High  Sheriff,  who  was  very  de- 
sirous that  we  should  stay  a  few  hours 
and  go  to  the  castle  and  see  the  court 
opened  and  listen  to  a  case  or  two.  The 
High  Sheriff  of  a  county  is  a  great  char- 
acter and  has  a  carriage  and  liveries  as 
grand  as  the  Queen's.  After  breakfast 
we  bade  adieu  to  our  York  friends,  and 
194 


SIR    ROBERT    PEEL 

From  the  mezzotint  after  Sir  T.  Lawrence,  R.  A , 


Letters  from   England 

set  off  with  our  big  bouquets  (for  the 
distribution  was  extended  to  us)  for 
home. 


To  T.  D. 

London,  August  9,  1848. 

My  dear  Brother:  ...  On 
Saturday  we  set  off  for  Nuneham,  the 
magnificent  seat  of  the  late  Archbishop 
of  York,  now  in  possession  of  his  eldest 
son,  Mr.  Granville  Harcourt.  .  .  . 
The  guests  besides  ourselves  were  Sir 
Robert  and  Lady  Peel,  Lord  and  Lady 
Villiers,  Lord  and  Lady  Norreys,  Lord 
Harry  Vane,  etc.  We  considered  it  a 
great  privilege  to  be  staying  in  the  same 
house  with  Sir  Robert  Peel,  and  I  had 
also  the  pleasure  of  sitting  by  him  at 
dinner  all  the  three  days  we  were  there. 
He  was  full  of  conversation  of  the  best 
kind.  Mr.  Denison  and  Lady  Char- 
195 


Mrs.   George   Bancroft's 

lotte,  his  wife,  were  also  of  our  party. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  the  Duke  of 
Portland  and  sister  of  Lord  George 
Bentinck,  Sir  Robert's  great  antagonist 
in  the  House. 

On  Sunday  morning  we  attended  the 
pretty  little  church  on  the  estate  which 
with  its  parsonage  is  a  pleasing  object 
on  the  grounds.  The  next  day  the 
whole  party  were  taken  to  Blenheim,  the 
seat  of  the  famous  Duke  of  Marl- 
borough, built  at  the  expense  of  the 
country.  The  grounds  are  exquisite,  but 
I  was  most  charmed  by  the  collection  of 
pictures.  Here  were  the  finest  Vandykes, 
Rubens,  and  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  which 
I  have  seen.  Sir  Robert  Peel  is  a  great 
connoisseur  in  art  and  seemed  highly  to 
enjoy  them.  Altogether  it  was  a  truly 
delightful  day:  the  drive  of  fifteen  miles 
in  open  carriages,  and  through  Oxford, 

being  of  itself  a  high  pleasure.     Yester- 
196 


Letters   from   England 

day  we   returned  to   London,    and   on 
Thursday  we  set  out  for  Scotland. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  I.  P.  D. 

Edinburgh,  August  16,  1848. 

My  dear  Uncle  and  Aunt  :  .  .  . 
Of  Edinburgh  I  cannot  say  enough  to 
express  my  admiration.  The  Castle 
Rock,  Arthur's  Seat,  Salisbury  Craigs 
and  Calton  Hill  are  all  separate  and  fine 
mountains  and,  with  the  Frith  of  Forth, 
the  ocean  and  the  old  picturesque  town, 
make  an  assemblage  of  fine  objects  that 
I  have  seen  nowhere  else.  Mr.  Ruther- 
ford, the  Lord  Advocate,  who  is  of  the 
Ministry,  had  written  to  his  friends  that 
we  were  coming,  and  several  gentlemen 
came  by  breakfast  time  the  next  morn- 
ing. Mr.  Gordon,  his  nephew,  married 
the  daughter  of  Prof.  Wilson,  and  in- 
vited us  to  dine  that  day  to  meet  the 

professor,  etc.     .     .     .     We  drove  out 
197 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

after  breakfast  into  th  country  to 
Hawthornden,  formerly  the  residence  of 
Drummond  the  poet,  and  to  Lord 
Roslin's  grounds,  where  are  the  ruins 
of  Roslin  Castle  and  above  all,  of 
the  Roslin  Chapel.  .  .  .  After  linger- 
ing and  admiring  long  we  returned  to 
Edinburgh  just  in  season  for  dinner  at 
Mr.  Gordon's,  where  we  found  Prof. 
Wilson,  and  another  daughter  and  son, 
Mrs.  Rutherford,  wife  of  the  Lord 
Advocate,  and  Capt.  Rutherford,  his 
brother,  with  his  wife.  We  had  a  very 
agreeable  evening  and  engaged  to  dine 
there  again  quite  en  famille,  with  only 
the  professor,  whose  conversation  is  de- 
lightful. 

The  next  morning  we  went  out  to 
Craigcrook,  Lord  Jeffrey's  country  seat, 
to  see  and  lunch  with  him.  He  was  con- 
fined to  his  couch.  .  .  .  He  is  sev- 
enty-three   or    seventy-four,    but    looks 


LADY     PEEL 

After  Sir  T.  Lawrence,  R.  A., ;  photograph  copyright  by  W.  Mansell  &  Co. 
London 


Letters  from   England 

not  a  minute  older  than  fifty.  He  has  a 
fine  head  and  forehead,  and  most  agree- 
able and  courteous  manners,  rather  of 
the  old  school.  As  he  could  not  rise  to 
receive  me  he  kissed  my  hand.  Mrs. 
Jeffrey  is  an  intelligent  and  agreeable 
woman  but  has  been  much  out  of  health 
the  last  year.  She  was  Miss  Wilkes  of 
New  York,  you  know.  The  house  was  an 
old  castellated  and  fortified  house,  and 
with  modern  additions  is  a  most  beauti- 
ful residence.  Capt.  Rutherford  told  me 
that  when  he  received  the  Lord  Advo- 
cate's letter  announcing  that  we  were 
coming,  he  went  to  see  Lord  Jeffrey  to 
know  if  he  would  be  well  enough  to  see 
us,  and  he  expressed  the  strongest  ad- 
miration for  Mr.  Bancroft's  work. 
This  may  have  disposed  them  to  re- 
ceive us  with  the  cordiality  which  made 
our  visit  so  agreeable.     Mr.   Empson, 

his  son-in-law  and  the  president  editor 
199 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

of  the  Edinburgh  Review,  was  staying 
there,  and  after  talking  two  hours  with 
Lord  and  Mrs.  Jeffrey  we  took  with 
him  a  walk  in  the  grounds  from  which 
are  delightful  and  commanding  views 
of  the  whole  environs,  and  never  were 
environs  so  beautiful. 


To  W.  D.  B. 

Tarbet  on  Loch  Lomond,  August  28,  1848. 

Dear  W.      .     .     .     Being  detained 

here  by  rain  this  morning  I  devote  it  to 

you  and  to  my  journal.     .     .     .     The 

next  day  was  Sunday  but  the  weather 

being  fine  we  concluded  to  continue  our 

journey,   and  followed  the  Tay  seeing 

Birnam  Wood  and  Dunsinane   on   our 

way  up  to  Dunkeld,  near  to  which  is  the 

fine  seat  of  the  Duke  of  Athol.     We 

took  a  delightful  walk  in  the  beautiful 

grounds,   and  went  on  to   Blair  Athol 
200 


Letters  from   England 

to  sleep.  This  is  the  chief  residence 
of  the  Duke  of  Athol  and  he  has 
here  another  house  and  grounds  very 
pretty  though  not  as  extensive  as  those 
at  Dunkeld.  .  .  .  When  the  innkeep- 
er found  who  we  were  he  insisted  on 
sending  a  message  to  the  Duke  who  sent 
down  an  order  to  us  to  drive  up  Glen 
Tilt  and  met  us  there  himself.  We  en- 
tered through  the  Park  and  followed  up 
the  Tilt.  Nothing  could  be  more  wild 
than  this  narrow  winding  pass  which  we 
followed  for  eight  miles  till  we  came  to 
the  Duke's  forest  lodge.  Here  were 
waiting  for  us  a  most  picturesque  group 
in  full  Highland  dress :  the  head  stalker, 
the  head  shepherd,  the  kennel  keepers 
with  their  dogs  in  leashes,  the  piper, 
etc.,  etc.  They  told  us  that  the  Duke 
had  sent  up  word  that  we  were  coming 
and  he  would  soon  be  there  himself. 
In  a  few  moments  he  appeared  also  in 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

full  Highland  costume  with  bare  knees, 
kilt,  philibeg,  etc.  He  told  us  he  had 
then  on  those  mountains  15,000  head  of 
deer,  and  thought  we  might  like  to  see  a 
start,  as  it  is  called.  The  head  stalker 
told  him,  however,  that  the  wind  had 
changed  which  affects  the  scent,  and  that 
nothing  could  be  done  that  day.  The 
Duke  tried  to  make  us  amends  by  mak- 
ing some  of  his  people  sing  us  Gaelic 
songs  and  show  us  some  of  the  athletic 
Highland  games.  The  little  lodge  he 
also  went  over  with  us,  and  said  that  the 
Duchess  came  there  and  lived  six  or 
seven  weeks  in  the  autumn,  and  that  the 
Duke  and  Duchess  of  Buccleuch  rented 
it  for  many  years  while  he  was  a  minor. 
If  you  could  see  the  tiny  little  rooms, 
you  would  be  astonished  to  find  what  the 
love  of  sport  can  do  for  these  people 
who  possess  actual  palaces. 

After  dining  again  upon  salmon  and 


Letters  from   England 

grouse  at  the  pretty  little  inn,  we  took 
a  post  chaise  to  go  on  to  Taymouth,  a 
little  village  adjoining  Lord  Breadal- 
bane's  place.  We  did  not  arrive  at  the 
inn  till  after  eight  and  found  it  com- 
pletely full.  .  .  .  We  were  sent  to 
the  schoolmaster's  to  sleep  in  the  small- 
est of  little  rooms,  with  a  great  clock 
which  ticked  and  struck  so  loud  that  we 
were  obliged  to  silence  it,  to  the  great 
bewilderment,  I  dare  say,  of  the  scholars 
the  next  day.  Before  we  were  in  bed, 
there  was  a  knock  at  the  door,  which 
proved  to  be  from  Lord  Breadalbane's 
butler,  to  say  that  he  had  been  commis- 
sioned to  enquire  whenever  we  arrived 
at  the  inn,  as  his  Lordship  had  heard 
that  we  were  in  Scotland  and  wished  us 
to  make  them  a  visit. 

Next   morning   before    we   were   up 
came   a   note   from   Lord   Breadalbane 

urging  us  to  come  immediately  to  the 

203 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

Castle.  .  .  .  Taymouth  Castle, 
though  not  more  than  fifty  years  old, 
has  the  air  of  an  old  feudal  castle. 
.  .  .  As  we  were  ushered  up  the  mag- 
nificent staircase  through  first  a  large 
antechamber,  then  through  a  superb  hall 
with  lofty  ceiling  glowing  with  armorial 
bearings,  and  with  the  most  light  and 
delicate  carving  on  every  part  of  the 
oaken  panelling,  then  through  a  long 
gallery,  of  heavier  carving  filled  with 
fine  old  cabinets,  into  the  library,  it 
seemed  to  me  that  the  whole  Castle  was 
one  of  those  magical  delusions  that  one 
reads  of  in  Fairy  Tales,  so  strange  did 
it  seem  to  find  such  princely  magnificence 
all  alone  amid  such  wild  and  solitary 
scenes.  I  had  always  the  feeling  that  it 
would  suddenly  vanish,  at  some  wave  of 
an  enchanter's  wand,  as  it  must  have 
arisen  also.  The  library  is  by  far  the 
finest  room  I  ever  saw.  Its  windows  and 
204 


Letters  from   England 

arches  and  doorways  are  all  of  a  fine 
carved  Gothic  open  work  as  light  as  gos- 
samer. One  door  which  he  lately  added 
cost  a  thousand  pounds,  the  door  alone, 
not  the  doorway,  so  you  can  judge  of 
the  exquisite  workmanship.  Here  Lady 
Breadalbane  joined  us,  whom  I  had 
never  before  met.  .  .  .  During  din- 
ner the  piper  in  full  costume  was  playing 
the  pibroch  in  a  gallery  outside  the  win- 
dow, and  after  he  had  done  a  band,  also 
in  full  Highland  dress,  played  some  of 
the  Italian,  German  as  well  as  Scotch 
music,  at  just  an  agreeable  distance.  I 
have  seen  nothing  in  England  which 
compares  in  splendor  with  the  state 
which  is  kept  up  here. 

We  passed  Wednesday  and  Thurs- 
day here  most  agreeably,  and  we  rode 
or  walked  during  the  whole  days.  Lord 
Breadalbane,  by  the  way,  has  just  been 

appointed  Lord  High  Chamberlain  to 

205 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

the  Queen  in  place  of  Lord  Spencer.  I 
am  glad  of  this  because  we  are  brought 
often  in  contact  with  the  Lord  Cham- 
berlain, but  it  is  very  strange  to  me 
that  a  man  who  lives  like  a  king,  and 
through  whose  dominions  we  travelled  a 
hundred  miles  from  the  German  Ocean 
to  the  Atlantic,  can  be  Chamberlain  to 
any  Queen.  These  feudal  subordina- 
tions we  republicans  cannot  understand. 
.  .  .  We  stopped  at  the  little  town  of 
Oban.  After  reading  our  letters  and 
getting  a  dinner,  we  went  out  just  be- 
fore sunset  for  a  walk. 

We  wished  much  to  see  the  ruins  of 
Dunolly.  We  passed  the  porter's  lodge 
and  found  ourselves  directly  in  the  most 
picturesque  grounds  on  the  very  shore 
of  the  ocean  and  with  the  Western 
Islands  lying  before  us.  Mr.  Bancroft 
sent  in  his  card,  which  brought  out  in- 
stantly the  key  to  the  old  castle,  and  in 
206 


Letters   from   England 

a  few  moments  Capt.  MacDougal  and 
Mr.  Phipps,  a  brother  of  Lord  Nor- 
manby's,  joined  us.  They  pointed  out 
the  interesting  points  in  the  landscape, 
the  Castle  of  Ardtornish,  the  scene  of 
Lord  of  the  Isles,  etc.,  in  addition  to 
the  fine  old  ruin  we  came  to  see.  We 
lingered  till  the  lighthouses  had  begun 
to  glow,  and  I  was  reminded  very  much 
of  the  scenery  at  Wood's  Hole,  which 
I  used  to  enjoy  so  much,  only  that  could 
not  boast  the  association  with  poetry 
and  feudal  romance.  We  then  went  into 
the  house,  and  found  a  charming  domes- 
tic circle  in  full  evening  dress  with  short 
sleeves,  so  that  my  gray  travelling  cloak 
and  straw  bonnet  were  rather  out  of 
place.  Here  were  Mrs.  Phipps,  and 
Miss  Campbell,  her  sister,  daughters  of 
Sir  Colin  Campbell,  and  to  my  great  de- 
light, Captain  MacDougal  brought  out 

the  great  brooch  of  Lorn,  which  his  an- 
207 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

cestor  won  from  Bruce  and  the  story  of 
which  you  will  find  in  the  Lord  of  the 
Isles.  It  fastened  the  Scotch  Plaid,  and 
is  larger  than  a  teacup.  He  described 
to  me  the  reverential  way  in  which  Scott 
took  it  in  both  hands  when  he  showed 
it  to  him.  The  whole  evening  was  pleas- 
ant and  the  more  so  from  being  unex- 
pected. .  .  .  One  little  thing  which 
adds  always  to  the  charm  of  Scotch 
scenery  is  the  dress  of  the  peasantry. 
One  never  sees  the  real  Highland  cos- 
tume, but  every  shepherd  has  his  plaid 
slung  over  one  shoulder,  making  the 
most  graceful  drapery.  This,  with  the 
universal  Glengarry  bonnet,  is  very 
pretty. 

At  Glasgow  we  intended  to  pay  a 
visit  of  a  day  to  the  historian  Alison, 
but  found  letters  announcing  Governor 
Davis's  arrival  in  London  with  Mr. 
Corcoran  and  immediately  turned  our 

203 


Letters   from   England 

faces  homeward.  We  were  to  have 
passed  a  week  on  our  return  amidst  the 
lakes,  and  I  protested  against  going 
back  to  London  without  one  look  at 
least.  So  we  stopped  at  Kendal  on  Sat- 
urday, took  a  little  carriage  over  to 
Windermere  and  Ambleside  and  passed 
the  whole  evening  with  the  poet  and 
Mrs.  Wordsworth,  at  their  own  exqui- 
site home  on  Rydal  Mount.  At  ten 
o'clock  we  went  from  there  to  Miss 
Martineau,  who  has  built  the  prettiest 
of  houses  in  this  valley  near  to  Mrs. 
Arnold  at  Fox  Howe.  As  we  had  only 
one  day  we  made  an  arrangement  with 
Miss  Martineau  to  go  with  us  and  be 
our  guide,  and  set  out  the  next  day  at 
six  o'clock  and  went  over  to  Keswick  to 
breakfast.  From  thence  we  went  to  Bor- 
rowdale,  by  the  side  of  Derwentwater, 
and  afterward  to  Ulswater  and  home 

by  the  fine  pass  of  Kirkstone.     On  my 
209 


Mrs.  George    Bancroft's 

return,  I  found  the  Duke  and  Duchess 
of  Argyle  had  been  to  see  us. 

The  time  for  closing  the  despatch  bag 
has  come  and  I  must  hurry  over  my  de- 
light at  the  scenery  of  the  lakes.  I  could 
have  spent  a  month  there,  much  to  my 
mind.  We  arrived  home  on  Monday 
and  early  next  morning  came  Mr.  Davis 
and  Mr.  Corcoran.  They  went  to  see 
the  Parliament  prorogued  in  person  by 
the  Queen. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  I.  P.  D. 

London,  December  14,  1848. 

Dear  Uncle  and  Aunt:  On  Fri- 
day we  dined  at  Mr.  Tufnell's,  who  mar- 
ried last  spring  the  daughter  of  Lord 
Rosebery,  Lady  Anne  Primrose,  a  very 
"  nice  person,"  to  use  the  favorite  Eng- 
lish term  of  praise.  ...  Sir  John 
Hobhouse   was   of    our   party   and    he 

told  us  so  much   of   Byron,    who   was 
210 


GEORGE    BANCROFT 

Probably  taken  at   Brady's   National  Gallery,  New  York,  sometime  after  hi: 
return  from  England  ;   from  a  picture  owned  by  Elizabeth  B.  Bliss 


Letters  from   England 

his  intimate  friend,  as  you  will  remem- 
ber from  his  Life,  that  we  stayed  much 
longer  than  usual  at  dinner.  .  .  .  On 
Tuesday  we  were  invited  to  dine  with 
Miss  Coutts,  but  were  engaged  to  Mr. 
Gurney,  an  immensely  rich  Quaker 
banker,  brother  of  Mrs.  Fry.  His 
daughter  is  married  to  Ernest  Bunsen, 
the  second  son  of  our  friend.  We  were 
delighted  with  the  whole  family  scene, 
which  was  quite  unlike  anything  we  have 
seen  in  England.  They  live  at  Upton 
Park,  a  pretty  country  seat  about  eight 
miles  from  us,  and  are  surrounded  by 
their  children  and  grandchildren.  Their 
costume  and  language  are  strictly 
Quaker,  which  was  most  becoming  to 
Mrs.  Gurney's  sweet,  placid  face. 
.  .  .  Louis  Napoleon's  election  seems 
fixed,  and  is  to  me  one  of  the  most  as- 
tounding things  of  the  age.  When  we 
passed  several  days  with  him  at   Mr. 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

Bates's,  I  would  not  have  given  two 
straws  for  his  chance  of  a  future  career. 
To-night  Mendelssohn's  "  Elijah "  is 
to  be  performed,  and  Jenny  Lind  sings. 
We  had  not  been  able  to  get  tickets, 
which  have  been  sold  for  five  guineas 
apiece  the  last  few  days.  To  my  great 
joy  Miss  Coutts  has  this  moment  written 
me  that  she  has  two  for  our  use,  and 
asks  us  to  take  an  early  dinner  at  five 
with  her  and  accompany  her. 


To  L  P.  D. 

London,  June  8,  1849. 

I  thank  you,  my  dear  Uncle,  for  your 
pleasant  letter,  which  contained  as  usual 
much  that  was  interesting  to  me.  And 
so  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawrence  are  to  be  our 
successors.  .  .  .  Happy  as  we  have 
been  here,  I  have  a  great  satisfaction 
that  we  are  setting  rather  than  rising; 


Letters   from   England 

that  we  have  done  our  work,  instead  of 
having  it  to  do.  Like  all  our  pleasures, 
those  here  are  earned  by  fatigue  and 
effort,  and  I  would  not  willingly  live  the 
last  three  years  over  again,  or  three 
years  like  them,  though  they  have  con- 
tained high  and  lasting  gratifications. 
We  have  constantly  the  strongest  ex- 
pressions of  regret  at  our  approaching 
departure,  and  in  many  cases  it  is,  I 
know,  most  genuine.  My  relations  here 
have  been  most  agreeable,  and  particu- 
larly in  that  intellectual  circle  whose 
high  character  and  culture  have  made 
their  regard  most  precious  to  me.  The 
manifestations  of  this  kindness  increase 
as  the  time  approaches  for  our  going 
and  we  are  inundated  with  invitations  of 
all  kinds. 

Young  Prescott  is  here.    I  wish  Pres- 
cott   could  have  seen   his  reception   at 
Lady  Lovelace's  the  other  evening  when 
213 


Mrs.  George   Bancroft's 

there  happened  to  be  a  collection  of 
genius  and  literature.  What  a  blessing 
it  is  sometimes  to  a  son  to  have  a  father. 
To-morrow  we  dine  with  Lord  John 
Russell  down  at  Pembroke  Lodge  in 
Richmond  Park.  On  Monday  we 
breakfast  with  Macaulay.  We  met 
him  at  dinner  this  week  at  Lady  Walde- 
grave's,  and  he  said:  "Would  you  be 
willing  to  breakfast  with  me  some  morn- 
ing, if  I  asked  one  or  two  other  ladies?  " 
"Willing!"  I  said,  "I  should  be  de- 
lighted beyond  measure."  So  he  sent 
us  a  note  for  Monday  next.  I  depend 
upon  seeing  his  bachelor  establishment, 
his  library,  and  mode  of  life.  On 
Wednesday  we  go  to  a  ball  at  the  Pal- 
ace. But  it  is  useless  to  go  on,  for  every 
day  is  filled  in  this  way,  and  gives  you 
an  idea  of  London  in  the  season. 


214 


Letters  from   England 


To  I.  P.  D. 

London,  June  22,  1849. 

My  dear  Uncle:  Yesterday  I 
passed  one  of  the  most  agreeable  days 
I  have  had  in  England  at  Oxford,  where 
I  went  with  a  party  to  see  Mr.  Bancroft 
take  his  degree.  .  .  .  Nothing  could 
have  gone  off  better  than  the  whole 
thing.  Mr.  Bancroft  went  up  the  day 
before,  but  Mrs.  Stuart  Mackenzie  and 
her  daughter,  with  Lady  Elizabeth 
Waldegrave,  Louisa,  and  myself  went 
up  yesterday  morning  and  returned  at 
night.  We  lunched  at  the  Vice-Chancel- 
lor's (where  Mr.  B.  made  a  pleasant 
little  informal  speech)  and  were  treated 
with  great  kindness  by  everybody.  I 
wish  you  could  have  seen  Mr.  Bancroft 
walking  round  all  day  with  his  scarlet 
gown  and  round  velvet  cap,  such  as  you 
215 


Letters   from   England 

see  in  old  Venetian  pictures.  From  this 
time  forward  we  shall  have  the  pain  of 
bidding  adieu,  one  by  one,  to  our  friends, 
as  they  leave  town  not  to  return  till  we 
are  gone. 


216 


INDEX    OF    NAMES 


Addison,  14 

Adelaide,  Madam,  157,  158,  167 

Albert,  Prince,  49,  66,  69,  101,  102, 

103,  104,  184,  191,  192,  193 
Alboni,  99,  112 
Alison,  Mr.,  109,  208 
Alison,  Archdeacon,  109 
Ambleside,  209 
Amelie,  Queen,  164-166 
Amiens,  162 

America,  24,  83,  121,  155,  161 
Americans,  50,  108,  155,  158 
Andersen,  122 
Anglesey,  Marquis  of,  74 
Appleton,  Mr.  T.,  n 
Apsley  House,  115 
Ardtornish,  Castle  of,  207 
Argyle,  Duke  and  Duchess  of,  210 
Arnold,  Dr.,  81,  124 
Arnold,  Mrs.,  209 
Arthur's  Seat,  197 
Ashburton,  Lord,  83 
Ashburton,  Lady,  83-84 
Ashley,  Lord  and  Lady,  23 
Aspinwall,  Mr.,  11,  17 
Aspinwall,  Mrs.,  17 
Aston  Hall,  9 
Athenaeum  Club,  16,  19 
Athol,  Duke  of,  67,  200,  2ot,  202 
Athol,  Duchess  of,  36,  202 
Atkinson,  Mr.,  17 
Atkinson,  Mrs.,  17 
Auckland,  Lord,  20,  28,  188 
Audley  End,  136 
Austin,  Charles,  170 
Austin,  Mrs.,  122,  167 

2 


Austria,  171 
Aylmer,  Lord,  57,  58 

Babbage,  3s 

Bancroft,  Mr.,  7,  12,  13,  15, 16,  17, 
2-  25,  26,  37,  41,  45,  52,  58,  62, 
64.  74.  77.  84,  93.  95.  96>  99.  I02. 

IO7,   109,    III,   II3,    121,    122,   I23, 

131.  133.  134.  »35,  138.  '43.  145. 

!47.  IS5.  '57.  159.   I0°.  l6l>  I02> 

ID3,  175,  177,  178,  185,  190,  191, 

192,  199,  206,  215 
Bancroft,  Mrs.,  26,  95,  160 
Baring,  Mr.  Thomas,  83 
Bates,  Mr.,  n,  43,  47,  52,  165,  212 
Bates,  Mrs.,  n,  12 
Belgians,  King  of  the,  121 
Bentinck,  Lord  George,  189,  196 
Beresford,  Lord  John,  189 
Beresford,  Major,  143 
Berlin,  171 
Berry,  the  Misses,  77,  88,  90,  97, 

150,  153 
Beust,  Baroness  de,  95 
Birmingham,  8,  9 
Birnam  Wood,  200 
Blair  Athol,  200,  201 
Blanc,  Louis,  181 
Blenheim,  196 
Bliss,  A.,  132,  144,  171 
Boileau,  Mr.,  143 
Boileau,  Sir  John,  140 
Boleyn,  Anne,  48 
Borneo,  144,  150,  151 
Borrowdale,  209 
Boston,  38,  71,  188 

17 


Index  of  Names 


Bowles,  General,  101 
Boyd,  Mr.,  n 
Bracebridge  Hall,  9 
Braybrooke,  Lord,  131,   137, 

142 
Braybrooke,  Lady,  137,  138 
Braye,  Lady,  156 
Breadalbane,  Lord,  203,  205 
Breadalbane,  Lady,  205 
British  Museum,  120 
Brodhead,  Mr.,  64,  83,  163 
Broglie,  Due  de,  146,  163 
Brooke,  of  Sarawak,  143,  150 
Brooks,  64 
Brougham,  Lord,  75,  77,  88, 

154 
Bruce,  208 

Brunnow,  Baron,  113 
Brunnow,  Baroness,  94,  113 
Brussels,  165 

Buccleuch,  Duke  of,  67,  20a 
Buccleuch,  Duchess  of,  202 
Buckingham  Palace,  117 
Buckland,  Dr.,  78 
Bunsen,    Chevalier,    34,    79 

171 
Bunsen,  Madam,  79,  81,  94 
Bunsen,  Ernest,  211 
Buonaparte,  Jerome,  46 
Buonaparte,  Louis,  46,  211 
Buonaparte,  Napoleon,  46 
Burdett,  Sir  Francis,  57 
Burdett,  Sir  William,  57 
Burdett,  the  Misses,  186 
Burgh,  Lady  Emily  de,  22 
Butler,  Mr.,  144 
Byron,  Lady,  105,   106,   108, 

117,  119 
Byron,  Lord,  118,  210 
Byron,  Lord  and  Lady,  101 

Callimachi,  Princess,  67,  95 
Calton  Hill,  197 
Cambridge,  37,  38,  124,  125 


Cambridge,  Duke  of,  67,  132,  133, 
"34 

Cambridge,  Duchess  of,  183,  187 
140,     Camden,  Marquis  of,  67 

Campbell,  Lord,  78 

Campbell,  Sir  Colin,  207 

Campbell,  Miss,  207 

Canning,  Sir  Stratford,  73 

Carlisle,  Lord,  190 

Carlisle,  Lady,  190 

Carlyle,  Mr.,  35,  82,  83 

Carlyle,  Mrs.,  82 

Castle  Howard,  190 

Castle  Rock,  197 
124,     Cates,  46,  54,  163 

Chantrey,  Lady,  79,  185 

Charleville,  Dowager  Countess  of, 

40.  56,  57 
Charlotte,  Princess,  107 
Charlotte,  Queen,  139 
Chartists,  173,  175,  176,  177 
Chatterton,  Sir  William,  58 
Chatterton,  Lady,  58 
Chiswick,  184 
81,     Circourt,  Countess  of,  96 
Clanricarde,  Marquis  of,  27 
Clanricarde,  Marchioness  of,  22,27 
Claremont,  107,  108 
Clarendon,  Lord,  17 
Clementine,  Princess,  165 
Coates,  Mr.,  71 
Codrington,  Sir  Edward,  156 
Colchester,  Lady,  57,  58 
Colman,  Mr.,  11,  17 
Compton,  Lord  Alwyne,  129,  130 
Constantine,    Grand    Duke,    112, 
in,         113,  120 

Coolidge,  Mr.  Joseph,  n 
Corcoran,  Mr.,  71,  208,  210 
Cork,  121 

Cornwallis,  Lord.  137,  141 
Cornwallis,  Marquis,  137 
Coutts,    Miss   Angelina,    57,    123, 
186,  187,  189,  211,  212 
218 


Index  of  Names 


Cousin,  99,  159,  180 
Covent  Garden,  99 
Craigcrook,  198 
Cromwell,  108 
Cushman,  Elder,  156 
Cushman,  the  Misses,  136 
Cust,  Sir  Edward,  93,  94 

Dalhousie,  Lord,  101,  102,  104 
Dalhousie,  Lady,  101 
Damar,  Colonel  and   Mrs.  Daw- 
son, 154 
Dana,  Richard  H.,  118 
Davis,  Governor,  208,  210 
Davis,  W.  T.,  82,  83 
Denmark,  172 
Denison,  Mr.,  195 
Denison,  Lady  Charlotte,  195 
Derby,  Countess  of,  36 
D'Eresby,  Lord  Willoughby,  61 
Derwentwater,  209 
Devonshire,  Duke  of,  185,  193 
Devonshire,  Duchess  of,  90,  191 
Dexter,  Mr.  Franklin,  17,  18 
Dexter,  Mrs.,  11,  17,  18 
Dietrichstein,  Countess,  94 
Disraeli,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  174 
Douro,  Lord,  131,  187 
Douro,  Marchioness  of,  69,  70,  187 
Drayton  Manor,  89 
Drummond,  198 
Drummond,  Mrs.,  178 
Dryden,  80 

Duff  Gordon,  Sir  William,  92 
Duff  Gordon,  Lady,  92,  122 
Dundonald,  Lord,  124 
Dunkeld,  200,  201 
Dunolly,  206 
Dunsinane,  200 

East  Sheen,  43,  44,  165 
Eaton  Square,  15,  145 
Ebrington,  Lord,  23 
Edinburgh,  197,  198 


Elizabeth,  Queen,  136 

Ellenborough,  Lord,  57 

Elliott,  Mr.  Frederick,  3s 

Ely,  37.  52 

Ely,  Dean  of,  38,  52 

Emerson,   R.   W.,    144,    145,   167, 

169,  173 
Empson,  Mr.,  199 
England,  9,   12,  29,  34,  36,  50,  76, 

83,  98,  142,    151,   170,  173,  176, 

205,  211,  215 
"  Eothen,"  74,  90,  92,  115 
Esher,  105,  106 
Estcourt,  Colonel,  36 
Eton,  124,  125 
Euclid,  149 

Europe,  86,  116,  170,  173 
Everett,  Mr.,  25,  34 
Exeter,  Marquis  of,  101,  102 
Exeter,  Marchioness  of,  101 

Faraday,  185 

Fitzherbert,  Mrs.,  154 

Fitzroy,  Lord  William,  50 

Flitton,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  143 

Flocon,  181 

Fonblanc,  35 

Forbes,  Mr.,  121 

Foster,  Sir  Augustus,  156 

Foster,  Lady  Albinia,  156 

Fox,  C.  J.,  90,  98 

Fox  Howe,  209 

France,  160, 161,  162, 169,  170,  171, 

176,  178,  179 
Franklin,  Lady,  155 
Frith  of  Forth,  197 
Fry,  Mrs.,  211 

Gair,  Mr.,  11 
George  IV.,  154 
Gibson,  Mrs.  Milner,  174 
Glasgow,  208 
Gloucester,  Duke  of,  154 
Goodwin,  Mrs.,  56 


Index  of  Names 


Gordon,  Mr.,  197,  198 

<  rrammont,  de,  22 

Grenville,  Mr.,  147 

Greville,  Mr.  Algernon,  58,  59 

Grey,  Earl,  «8 

(Jrey,  Countess,  24,  28 

Grey,  Sir  George,   15,  17,  28,  1 

18S 
Grey,  Lady,  28,  146 
Grisi,  99,  112 
Grote,  Mr.,  160 
Grundy,  Mrs.,  no 
Guizot,  85,  99,  i6r,  168,  185 
Guizot,  Mademoiselle,  185 
Gurney,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  211 


Hooker,  Lady,  50 
Hortense,  46 

Howard  dc  Walden,  137,  139 
Howitt,  William,  40 
Howitt,  Mary,  40 
Hudson,  Mr.,  113,  189,  193 
Hudson,  Mrs.,  114 
H  umber,  193 
Humboldt,  Baron,  157 

Ingestre,  Lord,  189 

Inglis,  Sir  Robert,  73 

Inverness,  Duchess  of,  28,  32,  37 

Ireland,  173 

Irving,  Washington,  9 

Isidore,  62,  63 

Italy,  139,  172,  173 


Haight,  Mr.,  n 

Hall,  Sir  lienjamin,  74 

Hallam,    Mr.,    96,  101,    120,    152,     Jackson,  Madam,  36 


163,  170 
Hallam,  Miss,  152 
Hampton  Court,  109 
Harcourt,  Earl,  127 
Harcourt,  Mr.,  13,  15,  16,  19,  74, 

75, 195 
Harding,  Mr.,  109 
Hawes,  Mr.,  38,  143 
Hawes,  Mrs.,  143 
Hawthornden,  198 
Hawtrey,  Dr.,  124,  125 
Hayward,  Mr.,  97 
Henry  IV.,  79 
Henry  VIII. ,48 
Hobhouse,  Sir  John,  210 
Holland,  Dr.,   n,   18,  23,  28,  32, 

53,  I56>  158 
Holland,  Mrs.,  18 
Holland,  Lord,  13,  14 
Holland,  Lady,  13,  25 
Holland,    Lady    (formerly    Lady     Kirkland,  Mrs.,  155 

Webster),  190  Kirkstone,  209 

Holland,  193 

Holland  House.  14  Labouchere,  Mr.,  75 

Hooker,  Sir  William,  50,  51,  53  Lamartine,  99,  181 

220 


James  I.,  35 

James,  G.  P.  R.,  107 

Jameson,  Mrs.,  173 

Jamac,  Count,  163,  165 

Jay,  Mr.  Joseph,  n,  17 

Jay,  Miss,  17 

Jeffrey,  Lord,  198,  199,  200 

Jeffrey,  Mrs.,  199,  200 

Jersey,  Lady,  187 

Josephine,  46,  167 

Keats.  45 
Kendal,  209 
Kensington,  14 
Kent,  Duchess  of,  23 
Kenyon,  163 
Keswick,  209 
Kew  Gardens,  50,  51,  68 
Kildare.  Lord,  127 
Kinglake,  Mr.,  91 


Index  of  Names 


Langdale,  Lord,  46,  47 
Langdale,  Lady,  46,  47 
Lansdowne,  Lord,  23,  24,  27,  69, 

70,  71,  87,  116,  121,  167,  188 
Lawrence,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  212 
Leicestershire,  105 
Leopold,  Prince,  107 
Leslie,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  36 
Leveson-Gower,    Lady    Caroline, 

127 
Lewis,  Lady  Theresa,  17,  28 
Leyden,  122 
Lieven,  Princess  de,  168 
Lincolnshire,  193 
Lind,  Jenny,  112,  182,  212 
Lindsay,  Lady  Charlotte,  32,   77, 

88,  153,  158 
Lisboa,  Mr.,  52 

Lisboa,  Madame,  52,  94,  101,  102 
Liverpool,  4,  5,  6,  8 
London,  9,  10,  12,  14,  19,  21,  27, 

33,  56,  62, 114,  125,  143,  145,  147, 

148,  150,  161,  167,  168,  175,  180, 

189,  191,  196,  208,  209,  214 
London,  Bishop  of,  73,  124 
Lonsdale,  Lord,  189 
Lorn,  brooch  of,  207 
Louis,  ex- King  of  Holland,  46 
Louis  Philippe,  157,  162,  163,  164, 

165,  166,  167,  168,  180,  181 
Louisa,  7,  38,  76,  109,  215 
Lovelace,  Lord,  105 
Lovelace,  Lady,  105,  106,  119,  213 
Lyell,  Mrs.,  148 

Macaulay,  18,  32,  75,  146,  152,  153, 

169,  170.  214 
MacDougal,  Captain,  207 
MacGregor,  Mr.,  58 
Mackenzie,  Mrs.  Stuart,  215 
Mackintosh,  Mr.,  18,  75 
Macready,  34 
Madison,  156 
Madison,  Mrs,,  31 


Mahon,  Lord,  15,  28,  75,  96,  152, 

'53 
Mahon,  Lady,  75 
Mallet,  Lady,  88 
Mansfield,  Mrs.,  74,  176 
Mansion  House,  132 
Mario,  112 
Markwell,  Mr.,  10 
Marlborough,  Duke  of,  196 
Martineau,  Miss,  209 
Mason,  31 

Mathew,  Father,  121 
Mauley,  Lord  de,  13,  14 
Mayor,  The  Lord,   132,   133,    134, 

136,  188 
Mayoress,  The  Lady,  132,  133,  134 
Melbourne,  Lord,  14 
Mendelssohn,  212 
Mexico,  144 
McLean,  Judge,  115 
McLean,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  115 
Metternich,  Prince  and  Princess, 

186 
Mignet,  99,  159,  178,  180 
Milraan,  Mr.,  28,  32,  92,  129,  152, 

153.  169 
Milman,  Mrs.,  32,  82,  92,  129,  r30, 

170 
Milnes,  Monckton,  167,169 
Mole,  Count,  161 
Molesworth,  Sir  William,  74,  98 
Molesworth,  Lady,  74,  98 
Monroe,  156 

Montebello,  Due  de,  176 
Monteagle,  Lord,  52,  121,  185 
Montpensier,  Duchess  de,  164,  165 
Mont  St.  Bernard,  145 
Moore,  122,  123 
Morgan,  Lady,  18,  35,  38,  74,  81, 

'73 
Morpeth,  Lord,  13,  14,  17,  20,  28, 

90,  169,  170,  190,  191 
Mount  Edgcumbe,  Lady,  103 
Murchison,  Sir  Roderick,  35 
221 


Index  of  Names 


Murray,  Miss,  35,  36,  63,  65,  67, 
68,  82,   105,  107,   109,  no,  115, 

Murray,  Mrs.,  20 

Napoleon,  167 

Navarino,  156 

Nemours,  Due  de,  164,  165,  180 

Nemours,  Duchess  de,  164 

Newby  Park,  189,  190,  194 

New  York,  10 

Norfolk,  Duke  of,  101,  102 

Normanby,  Lord,  35,  159,  207 

Normanby,  Lady,  85 

Norreys,  Lord  and  Lady,  195 

North,  Lord,  32,  77 

Northampton,  Lord,  73,  79,  129 

Northumberland,  Duke  of,  78 

Northumberland,      Duke     and 

Duchess  of,  185 
Norton,  Mrs.,  87,  174 
Norwich,  128,  129 
Norwich,  Bishop  of,  81,  88,  129 
Nuneham,  126,  195 

Oban,  206 

O'Connor,  Dennis,  71,  73 

Opie,  Mrs.,  130 

Otis,  Mrs.,  38 

Oxford,  196,  215 


Pakenham,  Mr.,  144 
Pakington,  Sir  John,  91 
Palmerston,  Lord,  13,  15,   18 

27,  28,  84,  101,  185,  188 
Palmerston,  Lady,  13,  14,  15, 

38,   75,  82,  84,  93,  95,  101, 

185 
Paris,  95,  96,99,  103,  155,  157, 

162,  164,  168,  177,  178,  181 
Parke,  Baron,  18,  28,  78 
Parke,  Lady,  18,  114 
Payne,  Annie,  31 
Peabody,  Mr.,  71 


Peacock,  Dean,  38 

Peel,  Sir  Robert,  76,  87,  89.   152, 

153.  195.  '96 
Peel,  Lady,  89,  195,  196 
Pell,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  83 
Phidias,  120 
Philadelphia,  10 
Phipps,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  207 
Pickering,  Mr.,  17 
Pleasantons,  33 
Plymouth,  24,  187,  193 
Polignac,  Prince,  22 
Polk,  President,  31 
Polk,  Mrs.,  26 
Polk,  Mr.,  115 
Poland,  172 
Pontois,  159 
Portland,  Duke  of,  196 
Pratt,  Miss,  17 
Prescott,  96,  161,  213 
Primrose,  Lady  Ann,  210 
Prussia,  Prince  of,  184 
Putnam,  Mr.,  17,  40 
Putnam,  Mrs.,  17 

Queensberry,      Marquis     a  nd 
Marchioness  of,  156 


Rachel,  123 

Raffles,  Sir  Stamford,  51 
Raffles,  Lady,  51 
Rathbone,  Richard,  5 
Rathbone,  Mrs.  Richard,  5 
24,     Rathbone,  William,  8 

Rebecco,  139 
22,     Reynolds,  Sir  Joshua,  196 
103,     Richmond,  Duke  of,  189,  192,  193 

Richmond  Park,  43,  48,  178,  214 
158,     Riggs,  Mr.,  71 

Robinson,  John,  122 
Rochester,  Bishop  of,  67,  91 
Rogers,  Samuel,  16,  87,  88,  89,  92, 
97,  98,  117,   118,  119,  122,   123, 
144,  147,  156,  186 
222 


Index  of  Names 


Rollin,  Ledru-,  181 

Rome,  34 

Ross,  115 

Rosebery,  Lord,  :io 

Roslin,  Lord,  198 

Roslin  Castle  and  Chapel,  198 

Rothschild,  Baron,  163,  164 

Rothschild,  Baroness,  115,  164 

Ruckers,  Miss,  33 

Rubens,  196 

Russell,  Lord  John,  27,  28,  32,  84, 

87,  123,  188,  214 
Russell,  Lady  John,  27,  151 
Russia,  172 

Rutherford,  Captain,  198,  199 
Rutherford,  Mr.,  73,  197 
Rutherford,  Mrs.,  198 
Rydal  Mount,  209 

St.  Aulair,  Count  of,  84 
St.  Aulair,  Countess  of,  94 
St.  George's  Chapel,  126 
St.  Mary's  Abbey,  191 
Salisbury  Crags,  197 
Salvandi,  99 
Sarawak,  143,  150,  151 
Saxe-Coburg,  Prince  Auguste  de, 

165 
Saxe-Weimar,  Prince  of,  23 
Saxe-Weimar,     Grand    Duke   of, 

112,  113 
Saxe-Weimar,  Grand  Duchess  of, 

112,  113,  183 
Scotland,  197,  203 
Scott,  208 

Senior,  Mr.,  68,  91,  92 
Seymour,  Jane,  48 
Sheridan,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  174 
Simpkinson,  Sir  Francis,  155 
Simpkinson,  Lady,  155 
Smith,  Sidney,  18,  75 
Somerville,  Dr.  and  Mrs.,  148 
Sophia,  Princess,  186 
Spencer,  Lord,  206 


Stael,  Madam  de,  146 
Stafford  House,  117,  119 
Stanley,  Lord,  116 
Stanley,  Mrs.,  81,  130 
Stanley,  the  Misses,  130 
Stanley,  A.,  130 
Stanley,  Mr.,  158 
Story,  Mr.  W.  W.,  86 
Story,  Mrs.,  85 
Stratheden,  Lady,  75 
Strickland,  Mrs.,  115 
Stuart  de  Rothesay,  Lady,  158 
Surheld,  Lady,  130,  131 
Suffolk,  Earl  of,  136,  137 
Sumner,  Charles,  20 
Sumner,  George,  159 
Sussex,  Duke  of,  28.  32 
Sutherland,  Duke  of,  117 
Sutherland,    Duchess  of,   69,   75, 
81,  115,  116,  127 

Tagent,  Mr.,  155 
Tamburini,  99,  112 
Tankerville,  Lady,  22 
Tay,  200 

Taylor,  Mr.,  52,  53 
Taymouth,  203 
Taymouth  Castle,  204 
Thackeray,  166 
Thierry,  99 

Thiers,  99,  159,  178,  180 
Tilt,  201 
Tower,  189 
Traveller's  Club,  16 
Trinity  College,  37 
Tufnell,  Mr.,  210 
Tuft,  Miss,  187 
Tunnel,  189 
Tyrrell,  Sir  John,  143 

Ulswater,  209 
United  States,  96,  156 

Vandyke,  196 
Van  Wart,  Mr.,  9 

23 


Index  of  Names 


Van  de  Weyer,  Mr.,  46,  47,  84, 
165,  167 

Van  de  Weyer,  Madame,  46,  47, 
48,  49,  67,  84,  94,  167 

Vane,  Lord  Harry,  195 

Venice,  148 

Vernon,  Lord,  126 

Victoria,  Queen,  13,  16,  23,  24,  25, 
26,  49,  65,  68,  69,  70,  74,  82,  93, 
94'  95.  ico,  101,  102,  103,  104, 
107,  in,  115,  116,  117,  116,  146, 
165,  176,  182,  183,  184,  185,  186, 
188,  206,  210 

Villiers,  Lord  and  Lady,  195 

Villiers,  Lady  Clementina,  187 

Waldegrave,  Lady,  154,  214 
Waldegrave,  Lady  E.,  215 
Wales,  Prince  of,  66.  126 
Walker,  Mrs.,  33 
Walpole,  Horace,  77,  88,  154 
Warburton,  92 
Warburton,  E.,  92,  114 
Ward,  Mr.,  144 
Washington,  26,  28,  33 
Watt,  Mr.,  9 
Webster,  Lady,  189,  190 
Wellesley,  Lord  Charles,  101 
Wellington,  Duke  of,  69,  70,  101, 
114,  115,  116,  131,  187,  188 


Western  Islands,  206 
Westminster  Abbey,  21,  30,  53,  78, 

79,  80,  141 
Westminster,  Dean  of,  79,  80,  124 
Westminster  School,  79 
Westminster  Hall,  121 
Whately,  Dr.,  91,  121,  124 
Whewell,  60 
Whitworth,  Lord,  58 
Wight,  Isle  of,  176 
Wilkes,  Miss,  199 
Wilson,  Professor,  196,  197 
Windcmere,  209 
Windsor  Castle,  16,  23,  24,  25,  III, 

126 
Winthrop,  Mr.,  109,  no,  m 
Wolsey,  Cardinal,  108 
Wood's  Hole,  207 
Wordsworth,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  209 
Wormeley,  Captain,  n,  82 
Wormeley,  Mrs.,  11,  17,  82 
Wormeley,  Miss,  11,  82 

Yarmouth,  131 

York,  189,  190,  191,  194 

York,  Archbishop  of,   13,  81,  126, 

127,  128,  147,  195 
Yorkshire,  188,  189,  193 

Zetl?nd,  Earl  of,  69,  70 


224 


ii!HK«liG'°"AL  L'6MBV  FAciuTr 

AA    000  839  487    f 


